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Tufted duck |
10.02.2001 |
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Ó Michael Woods |
There was a sudden influx
of tufted ducks on our slow-moving river, where it flows
through the town. It may have been the result of the January
frosts driving the ducks from their usual winter home on the
local gravel pits. The numbers of native tufted ducks have
been increasing for many years, presumably through taking
advantage of the growth of large bodies of still water
provided by the huge demand for gravel.
It is easy to get the impression that tufted ducks suddenly
appear in autumn. They take to gathering at this season on
open water. The flocks, which are swollen by large numbers
of winter visitors from the Continent, become one of the
characteristic sights of the winter wetland scene. The drake
of the tufted duck is immediately recognised by the pigtail
of feathers on the head and the bold black and white
plumage. The old name of magpie-diver is very appropriate.
The duck is uniformly dark-brown above the waterline and her
pigtail is smaller.
Tufted ducks are very tolerant of humans, although not to
the same degree as mallards. At our town bridge they mix
with the mallards and swans that gather to feed on offerings
of bread but they do not take advantage of this largesse.
They are preoccupied with diving for food. Their diet is
mainly molluscs, crustaceans, insect larvae and seeds
gathered from the bottom, and the national increase in
tufted ducks may be in part due to the introduced zebra
mussel successfully colonising gravel pits.
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