The tufted duck, also known as the tufted pochard, was a new species of duck for me which we saw on the fringe of Kaziranga NP in Assam, India in December 2024. It is found year round in central Europe, breeds in northern Europe and northern Asia and winters in portions of southern Europe, southern Asia and north and central Africa. It is seen occasionally as a winter visitor to the east and west coasts of the U.S.
They are named for a small tuft off the back of the head which appears to be larger on males than on females. The pictures of the tuft on Wikipedia and Birds of the World were larger than on the ones I saw. The male is black with white flanks and gold-yellow eyes. It looks quite similar to the ring-necked duck, greater scaup and lesser scaup. The female is brown with paler flanks and some white on the underside.
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| A few of the ducks in these two photos have noticeable tufts, both male and female. |
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