Tufted Duck

About the Tufted Duck

The tufted duck (or tufted pochard) (Aythya fuligula) is a small diving duck with a population of nearly one million birds, found in northern Eurasia. They are partially migratory. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek aithuia, an unidentified seabird mentioned by authors such as Hesychius and Aristotle, and Latin fuligo 'soot' and gula 'throat'. It is a game bird.

The tufted duck was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Anas fuligula. He cited the Swiss naturalist Conrad Gessner who in 1555 had used the identical name Anas fuligula in his Historiae animalium. Linnaeus specified the type locality as Europe but in 1761 restricted it to Sweden. The tufted duck is now one of 12 species placed in the genus Aythya that was introduced in 1822 by the German naturalist Friedrich Boie. The genus name is from Ancient Greek aithuia, an unidentified seabird mentioned by Aristotle, Hesychius and other authors. The specific epithet fuligula combines Latin meaning "soot" and gula meaning "throat". The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. An alternative common... Wikipedia →