Species of Concern
Long-Tailed Duck
Clangula hyemalis
Also known as: Oldsquaw
Habitat
Aquatic
Diet
Invertebrate
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
871 g
About This Species
A diving duck of open coastal waters and large lakes in winter, often riding choppy seas well offshore and diving frequently for molluscs and crustaceans. Males give a distinctive yodelling call and trail long tail feathers, while both sexes show a piebald winter plumage that shifts between mostly white and mostly dark. Winter coastal watches from headlands or sea-facing hides, scanning with a scope, offer the most reliable views.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- This species is listed as Vulnerable, so viewing should be from a substantial distance using optics rather than approaching rafts on the water, and boats should never be used to close in on a flock.
- Marine and migratory bird protections apply across much of its range, but specific buffer distances and enforcement vary by country, so err toward the most cautious local guidance available.
- Avoid any activity that causes repeated diving or flushing, since disturbance during winter can compound the energetic stress already affecting this declining population.
VUAvesAnseriformesAnatidae
Seasonal Activity
1,401,772 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
Traits
- Diet
- Invertebrate
- Foraging
- Aquatic
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 871 g
Photo
(c) Rails and roadtrips, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Rails and roadtrips
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.