Long-tailed duck

The long-tailed duck used to be referred to as the oldsquaw. The name oldsquaw comes from this duck's calls, which hunters once thought sounded like groups of chanting squaws. Long-tailed ducks are hardy ducks which live on Arctic waters and are excellent divers. They rarely come ashore except to breed in the summer.

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Anseriformes

Family: Anatidae

Genus: Clangula

Species: Hyemalis

The body length of the long-tailed duck averages 15 to 22 inches (38 to 56 centimeters), and its weight is 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pounds (1/2 to a little over one kilogram). Their wingspans are up to 2 1/2 feet (75 centimeters).

Long-tailed ducks are unique because both male and female molt, or shed, their plumage four times each year, in April, July, September, and November. In April, the drake, or male, grows spring plumage of dark brown on his head, neck, breast, and back. His back feathers are lighter brown, and his tail feathers are blackish brown. A gray, oval-shaped patch surrounds each eye. Early in July, he molts again and loses all his flight feathers so that he cannot fly until late August. He also loses his long tail feathers. During this time, he has what dull-colored plumage which is called eclipse plumage. His crown and back are dark brown, and his breast is light brown, while his underside is white. His face patches are grayish white. In September, he grows fall plumage, which molts into his winter plumage in November. Male winter plumage is white all over except for the gray eye patches and brown or black patches on the side of his head, front of his belly, wings, and tail. His tail feathers are the longest during this season.

The female's plumage does not change as much as does the male's. Her summer plumage is similar to his as she has a dark crown and back with a pale breast. She also does not have the long tail feathers at any time which the male does for much of the year.

Long-tailed ducks are very much at home in the frigid waters surrounding the Arctic. Flocks of 50 to 100 of these ducks feed during the day and dive for a variety of foods. Their dives may last 1 1/2 minutes and be to depths of several yards (meters). The diet of the long-tailed duck is diverse and omnivorous, meaning it is filled with both plants and animals. During the winter they eat mollusks, such as clams, mussels, cockles, whelks, and periwinkles, and crustaceans, such as shrimp and small crabs. Gobies, sticklebacks, cod, and flatfish are also common prey, as are bristleworms and starfish. Small amounts of seaweed and eelgrass are occasionally part of their diet also. During late spring and summer, the ducks eat snails, freshwater shrimp, and insects and their larvae. Seeds, berries, and other vegetation also fill part of their diet during these months.

Long-tailed ducks form pairs during the winter before they migrate north again or during the migration. Mating season is from late May to July and occurs in the Arctic tundra and upland regions, on coastal islands, and in river deltas which are unfrozen. A female finds a nesting site on the ground amid thick vegetation and makes a small hollow. She lays one egg each day and may lay five to 11 eggs. Incubation lasts 24 to 30 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching and feed themselves, although they remain with their mother until they are 40 days old. They are able to mate when they are two years old.

Gulls, foxes, and parasites may prey on the long-tailed duck. The greatest threats to the long-tailed ducks are oil spills and becoming caught in fishing nets. The life span of the long-tailed duck is between 15 and 23 years. They are not a threatened species.

Bibliography

Attaar, Sakina. “Clangula Hyemalis: Information.” Animal Diversity Web, 2012, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Clangula‗hyemalis. Accessed 6 May 2024.

Polan, Jason. “Long-Tailed Duck - Audubon Field Guide.” National Audubon Society, 2024, www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/long-tailed-duck. Accessed 6 May 2024.