BTO BirdFacts | Tufted Duck

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Page updated:16-January-2013

	Order: Anseriformes	Family: Anatidae
	BTO Codes: TU, TUFDU	EURING No: 2030
	Number in Britain: 7500 pairs (Summer)
	Conservation Status:
	UK: AMBER
	European: 3 Concern, most not in Europe; Declining
	Global: (Details)
Links to: Images Videos Sound

Status in UK: (A) Resident Breeder, Passage/Winter Visitor
Subspecies: Monotypic
.
Length: 44 cm	Wingspan: 70 cm	Weight: M/F: 760 g

Scientific name from:	Gr.: aithuia=a seabird described by Aristotle and L.: fuligo=soot + gula=throat
World Distribution:	BREEDS: Europe, n&c Asia, WINTERS: south to n Africa & se Asia

Habitat:	Marshes, lakes, on migration also rivers, estuaries
Diet:	Omnivorous, feeds on mud bottom mostly by diving
TitBit:	The rapid expansion of the Tufted Duck in Britain during the late 19th/early 20th century is probably due to the colonisation of Britain by Zebra Mussels (brought into London docks in the 1820s).

British Population Size:

Summer: 7000 to 8000 pairs in 1979-83 Baker, H. et al. (2006) British Birds 99:25-44

Winter: 110 thousand individuals in 2004-09 Musgrove, A. et al. (2011) British Birds 104:364-397

First Record: 1662 Browne (in Southwell, T. 1902. Notes and letters on the natural history of Norfolk)

[Fossil evidence from Middle Pleistocene, c. 500,000 yr ago]

First Breeding Record: Yorkshire (and probably earlier) 1849 Brown, A. 2007. British Birds 100:214-243

Conservation Status: AMBER because Species of European Concern, Eaton, M.A. et al. 2009. British Birds 102:296-341

Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 GREEN Gregory, R.D. et al. 2002. British Birds 95:410-448

1996-2001 GREEN Gibbons, D.W. et al. 1996. RSPB Conservation Review 10:7-18

Races of Concern:

Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):

Most frequent in: Lakes

Also common in: Ponds

Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:

Migration routes: Map of foreign ringing recoveries

European Population Size:

Summer: 200 to 320 thousand pairs Bufield, I. & Van Bommel, F. (2004) Birds in Europe. Birdlife International, Cambridge.

Population Assesment from Birds in Europe

Distribution in Europe mapped by the EBCC Atlas

Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WCA(II,III), WBD(II*,III*), Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA

Survey Results:	Results from BirdTrack

Breeding and Survival
Egg Size: 59 x 41 mm	Egg Weight: 56.0 g (of which 8 % is shell)

Number of Nest Records: 29
Clutch Size: 8 - 11 eggs
Incubation: 25 days		by the: Female
Fledging: 45 - 50days		as: Precocial, downy

First Clutches Laid: Unavailable
Number of Broods: 1
See trends in Breeding Productivity

Number Ringed: Annual Totals
Adult Survival: 0.710 ± 0.011
Juvenile Survival: 0.630 (in First-Year)

Age at First Breeding: 1 year	Typical Lifespan: 4 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 24 years 3 months 13 days (set in 2009)
Read a summary of Ringing Recoveries

Biometrics
Ring Size: F*
Wing Length	Adult:	203.9 ± 6.4 Range 140.0 - 266.0 mm, (N = 491)
	Juvenile:	199.6 ± 7.2 Range 151.0 - 233.0 mm, (N = 1664)
	Male:	206.2 ± 5.3 Range 141.0 - 261.0 mm, (N = 349)
	Female:	199.4 ± 6.5 Range 140.0 - 266.0 mm, (N = 141)

Weight	Adult:	718.6 ± 142.0 Range 397.0 - 1065 g , (N =397)
	Juvenile:	666.6 ± 84.1 Range 375.0 - 970.0 . , (N =1647)
	Male:	727.2 ± 128.6 Range 400.0 - 1065 g , (N =284)
	Female:	701.6 ± 138.5 Range 397.0 - 1065 g , (N =112)
	Seasonal:	Summer 682.7 ± 68.00 (N = 2476) Autumn 669.9 ± 83.66 (N = 342) Winter 775.7 ± 102.2 (N = 2165)
	Source:	British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data

For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
Kear, J 2005 Ducks, geese and swans Oxford University Press [598.48 KEA]
Cabot, D. 2009 Wildfowl Collins, London

See Also:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
Details from the Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
Read State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead
BOU Register of Avian Theses entry

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