Five facts about long-tailed ducks

It’s a time of change in the natural world. As well as the colour (and number) of leaves on the trees, many birds are heading off for the winter while others are arriving on our shores. One example of the latter are long-tailed ducks which start arriving here in October. Read on for five facts about these delightful little divers.

Many birds head to sunnier climes in winter but believe it or not, that can mean travelling to the north coast of Scotland. Long-tailed ducks spend the spring and summer in the tundra and taiga of the arctic. The coasts of Orkney and Shetland must feel quite balmy in comparison.

As you’d expect from birds that spend a lot of their time in the arctic, long-tailed ducks are rather hardy. Unlike many of our breeding ducks which you’ll often see on inland ponds and rivers, long-tailed ducks are much more at home on the sea.

Given they live on the sea, you won’t be surprised to hear that long-tailed ducks feed on small fish and shellfish. However you may not be aware how hard they’re willing to work for their food. They can dive up to 60m and spend more time underwater than any other duck.

Most waterfowl (ducks, geese and swans) moult once or twice per year. This means they lose and replace all their feathers to ensure they can stay clean, warm and waterproof. Long-tailed ducks however, moult three times every year in a near-continuous process from April to October. Always got to look your best.

As the name would suggest, long-tailed ducks are easily identifiable by their long tails. However females have very short tails, much like those of many other ducks. Does that make females short-tailed long-tailed ducks?

Visit our website for more information, including where best to see long-tailed ducks in Scotland.

All photos credited to Alan Leitch.