Tufted Duck

Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Tufted Duck, provided by xeno-canto contributors.

This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.

UK Birds of Conservation Concern	Green listed
Species of European Conservation Concern	Near Threatened
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global)	Least Concern
Schedule 1 license required (to disturb)	No
Birds Directive Annex 1	No
Listed on the Annexes of	WCA(II,III), WBD(II*,III*), Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA

The colonisation of the UK by Tufted Ducks, which began in 1849, was aided by the spread of the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha, a non-native invasive species that had been introduced accidentally to Britain a few decades earlier. The long-term increase shown by WBS/WBBS, and the increase in range in Britain between the three atlas periods (Gibbons et al. 1993, Balmer et al. 2013) indicated that population expansion and in-filling of range were still occurring until at least the early 2000s, although WBS/WBBS data since around 2010 suggest a recent downturn, and the long-term data suggest breeding numbers are now similar to the mid-1970s. However, this recent trend contrasts with BBS data which show stability or perhaps an increase since 1994 in the UK as a whole. The species' winter trend in the UK since the 1960s, which includes many continental visitors, is also shallowly upward, but with little recent change (WeBS: Frost et al. 2020).

Moderate recent declines elsewhere in northern Europe resulted in a period on the amber list in the UK from 2009-15, but the species is now green listed once more (Eaton et al. 2015). In Finland, there was a highly significant difference between stable trends in oligotrophic wetlands and declines in eutrophic wetlands from 1986 to 2013 (WeBS: Lehikoinen et al. 2016).

UK breeding population	No population change in UK (1995–2022)
UK winter population	-15% decrease (1996/97–2021/22)

The Tufted Duck is widespread in much of Britain during winter.

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Occupied 10-km squares in UK

No. occupied in breeding season	1793
% occupied in breeding season	59
No. occupied in winter	1898
% occupied in winter	63

European Distribution Map

European Breeding Bird Atlas 2

Breeding Season Habitats

Most frequent in	Lakes
Also common in	Ponds

Increases in breeding range are most noticeable along the northern and western margins of the 1968–72 range in Britain, with much infilling elsewhere.

Tufted Ducks are present year-round.

View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.

Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland

View number ringed each year in the Online Ringing Report

Maximum Age from Ringing	24 years 3 months 13 days (set in 2009)
Typical Lifespan	4 years with breeding typically at 1 year
Adult Survival	0.71±0.011   ( Female: 0.71±0.011)
Juvenile Survival	0.63 (in first year)

Wing Length	Adults	204.9±6.4 | Range 195–214mm, N=491
	Juveniles	198.7±7.3 | Range 187-209mm, N=157
	Males	206.8±5.3 | Range 199–215mm, N=349
	Females	200.1±6.5 | Range 192–208mm, N=141

Body Weight	Adults	853±142 | Range 625–1100g, N=397
	Juveniles	775±107.5 | Range 590–940g, N=107
	Males	888±128.6 | Range 685–1100g, N=284
	Females	768±138.5 | Range 585–990g, N=112

Feather measurements and photos on featherbase

Ring size	F*
Field Codes	2-letter: TU | 5-letter code: TUFDU | Euring: 2030

For information in another language (where available) click on a linked name

Causes of change

There is little good evidence available regarding the drivers of the breeding population increase in this species in the UK.

Further information on causes of change

No further information is available.

Information about conservation actions

Like other wildfowl, this species may benefit from the continuation of recent local management actions and wider policies which help to improve water quality and increase the availability of wetland habitats. More specifically, action to remove fish populations from gravel pits and other lakes may help improve breeding productivity for this species, by removing the competition from the fish which reduces the amount of invertebrate prey available to ducklings and adults (Giles 1994).