Long-Tailed Duck

Clangula hyemalis

Family:

Ducks, geese and swans

Length:

58cm to 60cm

Wingspan:

73cm to 79cm

Weight:

520g to 950g

About the Long-Tailed Duck

The long-tailed duck is a small sea duck and as the name suggests has long tail feathers. Their heads are small and round with straight-ish foreheads. In winter, males are predominately white with brown markings. Females are generally browner compared to males. When in flight, these ducks display their white bellies and dark wings.

These birds are visitors to the UK in winter and passage migrant. They're seen most commonly from northern Scotland to around Northumberland.

The long-tailed duck does not breed here in the UK, but it extremely important for their wintering sites to be protected as they are extremely vulnerable to oil pollution out at sea.

What does a Long-Tailed Duck eat?

Their diets mainly consist of small fish, clams, crabs, cockles and mussels.

Other birds in the Ducks, geese and swans family

Wigeon

Whooper Swan

This large bird arrives on our shores from Iceland to overwinter in late September, returning northwards to breed from mid March onwards.

White-Fronted Goose

Velvet Scoter

Tundra Bean Goose

Tufted Duck

A type of diving duck, distinguished by its mohican-like feathers at back of head.

Teal

Taiga Bean Goose

Snow Goose

Smew

Shoveler

Shelduck

Scaup

Ruddy Duck

Red-Crested Pochard

Red-Breasted Merganser

Pochard

During the winter the population of this rare resident breeding duck increases by 55 times to that of the summer, with the influx of many thousands of others overwintering, having arrived from Russia and Eastern Europe.

Pintail

Pink-Footed Goose

Mute Swan

Mandarin Duck

A native of Japan and China, the mandarin duck was first introduced into the UK in the 18th century and started populations in the wild in the 1930’s following escapes from captivity. The UK population is estimated to be in the region of 7,000 birds.

Mallard

Greylag Goose

Merganser

Widespread throughout the northern hemisphere, the common merganser is the largest of the saw billed fish eating ducks. There are three sub-species with the Eurasian variant frequently known as the Goosander.

Goldeneye

Garganey

Gadwall

Eider

Egyptian Goose

Regarded as being sacred by early Egyptians, this native goose of the African continent was introduced into Europe and elsewhere as an ornamental wildfowl species in the late seventeenth and eighteenth century.

Common Scoter

The word scoter is often used to define northern sea ducks. There are six different species of scoter, all of which are monotypic and three of which are confined to North America. The Common Scoter like the Velvet Scoter can only be found in Europe and Asia whilst the Stejneger’s Scoter is a native of Asia alone.

Canada Goose

Brent Goose

Bewick's Swan

Winter visitors to the UK, formerly considered a full species, but now considered a sub-species of the Tundra Swan.

Barnacle Goose

A highly sociable and unmistakable member of the goose family, often seen and heard flying in long, noisy packs and lines.