The male Tufted Duck has a distinctive tuft on its head giving the duck its name. The head, neck, and upper breast are black with a purple sheen. The upper parts, vent, and tail are black, the flanks, and abdomen are white. The wings are black with a white bar. The beak is grey-blue with a black tip and the eyes are bright yellow.
Females are dark brown with a paler brown on the underside, and a shorter tuft.
The male in eclipse plumage is similar to the female with brownish black upper parts and breast, whitish at the base of chin and throat, the breast feathers are edged with white and the sides and flanks are pale brown with whitish vermiculation.
Typical Adult is 40-47cm (16-18in).
Mussels, molluscs, aquatic plant seeds, snails, and insect larvae.
Lakes, ponds, rivers, estuaries, and seashore. Widespread in the UK, Iceland, most of Europe, across into Asia including Russia and Siberia, and east to northern Japan. They winter in the milder south and west of Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Africa, southern Asia including India, Thailand, Philippines, and southern Japan.
River Cottage's collection of Pochards changes regularly. Please visit us regularly to keep up-to-date with our flock
Click the button above to add a pair of Tufted Ducks to 'My Enquiries' which is available at the top of each page, and similar to a 'basket' on an ecommerce website!
Note: All birds are subject to availability and we reserve the right to alter prices as the market and our costs dictate. Viewing is strictly by appointment. Please contact us for futher details
