Long-tailed Duck
A species of Long-tailed Ducks Scientific name : Clangula hyemalis Genus : Long-tailed Ducks
Long-tailed Duck, A species of Long-tailed Ducks
Botanical name: Clangula hyemalis
Genus: Long-tailed Ducks
Content
Description People often ask General Info
Photo By Sammy Sam , used under CC-BY-SA-3.0 /Cropped and compressed from original 
Description
Adults have white underparts, though the rest of the plumage goes through a complex moulting process. The male has a long pointed tail (10 to 15 cm (3.9 to 5.9 in) long) and a dark grey bill crossed by a pink band. In winter, the male has a dark cheek patch on a mainly white head and neck, a dark breast and mostly white body. In summer, the male is dark on the head, neck and back with a white cheek patch. The female has a brown back and a relatively short pointed tail. In winter, the female's head and neck are white with a dark crown. In summer, the head is dark. Juveniles resemble adult females in autumn plumage, though with a lighter, less distinct cheek patch. The males are vocal and have a musical yodelling call ow, ow, owal-ow. 
Size
38-56 cm (15-22 in)
Colors
Brown
Black
Gray
White
Life Expectancy
23 years
Nest Placement
Ground
Clutch Size
6 - 9 eggs
Incubation Period
1 brood
Number of Broods
24 - 29 days
Nestling Period
1 - 2 days
Feeding Habits
Long-tailed Duck's diet mainly consists of invertebrates. On breeding grounds, they consume aquatic insects, crustaceans like fairy shrimp, fish eggs, and some plant matter. In winter, they feed on marine crustaceans, mussels, small fish, and zooplankton, diving up to 200 feet. They also eat mollusks and occasionally feed at night.
Habitat
Long-tailed Duck predominantly inhabit oceanic regions and expansive freshwater bodies. During breeding seasons, they favor the arctic tundra, closely associated with freshwater wetlands. In winter, long-tailed Duck are drawn to coastal ocean stretches and large lakes, frequently venturing far off the coast, particularly nocturnally. These birds are also adapted to icy environments, congregating around sea ice and utilizing polynyas and floe edges for survival.
Nest Behavior
The female long-tailed Duck buries the first egg under grasses and sedges, with down feathers added after laying the second egg.
Nest Characteristics
Long-tailed Duck typically create nests in tight clusters on islands or peninsulas in Arctic lakes, with shallow depressions lined with dwarf willow or birch leaves, grasses, sedges, and down feathers.
Dite type
Aquatic invertebrate eater
People often ask
General Info
Sounds
Call
Recording location: United States
Call
Recording location: United States
Call
Recording location: United States
Behavior
Long-tailed Duck exhibit remarkable diving capabilities, plunging to depths of up to 200 feet to forage on aquatic invertebrates. Remarkably, they use their wings rather than their feet to propel through water. Monogamous by nature, long-tailed Duck may maintain pair bonds over multiple breeding seasons. During mating, males defend territories using distinctive displays, including head-shaking and bill-tossing. Nest selection and chick rearing are solely the female’s responsibility. While territorial during the breeding season, they display high sociability in winter, forming large, sometimes mixed-species flocks. Ducklings, though capable of feeding themselves shortly after hatching, are initially not adept divers and rely on the female leading them to food-rich ponds.
Species Status
VULNERABLE. Monitoring data from Baltic Sea, where W Siberian and N European populations winter indicate significant decline since early 1990s at least.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Waterfowl Family
Geese Genus
Long-tailed Ducks Species
Long-tailed Duck 
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