The Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) is one of Sweden's most familiar diving ducks, instantly recognisable by the drooping crest at the back of the male's head and his sharp black-and-white contrast. It measures 40–47 cm in length with a wingspan of 65–72 cm; males weigh roughly 750–1,025 grams and females 630–905 grams. The male in breeding plumage is glossy black with clean white flanks and belly, a violet sheen to the head, and a distinct backward-curving tuft, while the female is a plainer dark brown with lighter brownish flanks, a shorter tuft, and sometimes a small white patch at the base of the bill. Both sexes share bright yellow eyes, a blue-grey bill with a black tip, and a broad white wing bar visible in flight.
For the most part Tufted Ducks are quiet, though displaying males give a soft, bubbling, whistled "wi-vi" and females a harder, growling "karr." The species breeds throughout Sweden on nutrient-rich lakes and ponds and in sheltered archipelagos, often nesting on islets close to Black-headed Gull colonies for extra protection, with a national population estimated at around 75,000 pairs in 2018 — a figure that has grown sharply, by 56 percent, over the past decade. The grass-lined nest sits near the water, and the female lays 8–11 eggs and incubates them alone for 23–28 days; the precocial ducklings can swim and dive almost immediately and fledge after 45–50 days. Feeding almost entirely underwater, often at depths of two to four metres, Tufted Ducks take mussels — including the invasive zebra mussel, which has boosted food supplies in many waters — along with snails, insect larvae, crustaceans and some plant material. Although a short-distance migrant, many individuals winter in Sweden on ice-free lakes, harbours and city waters such as Stockholm and Gothenburg, where the species is classified as Least Concern and is not on the national red list.
Read about this species in Swedish →