The tufted duck (Aythya fuligula) is a medium-sized bird from the diving ducks family. It is 40 to 47 cm long, with a wingspan of 65 to 72 cm. We classify it among diving ducks, as it completely submerges when foraging, while ducks stand on their heads, so that their legs protrude above the water’s surface. The male is distinctive in its nuptial or summer plumage. A metallic, gleaming black head, neck, chest, back and tail are a stark contrast to its white flanks and belly. The head is adorned with a long crest and a yellow eye, its ash-gray bill having a black tip. The female and juvenile individuals are camouflaged. What is black in the male is dark brown in the female, and her sides are pale brown. The tufted duck is omnivorous. It is active by day, when it dives for various aquatic invertebrates, such as various snails, crayfish and insect larvae. A substantial portion of its diet also consists of sprouts and green plant parts, as well as the fruits and seeds of plants.
The Slovenian population of tufted ducks does not migrate; tufted ducks that breed in northern Europe migrate to wintering grounds. In terms of nesting site choice, it is not fussy. Here in Slovenia you can find it nesting on ponds and water reservoirs, on manure ponds, on slowly flowing rivers and even on fast-flowing lowland streams. It likes shallow water surfaces with rich edge vegetation, where it can hide its nest. A nest built from vegetation can also be placed on floating 'islands' of vegetation. It does not nest colonially, but a relatively large number of pairs may nest on a fairly small area. It often joins colonies of other species, such as coots or gulls. For the young, only the female takes care of them, while the males molt their plumage during this time. If it does not associate in large groups during the warm part of the year, this changes in winter. There, in some places along the coast, we can observe thousands of birds in flocks.
Although tufted ducks are generally threatened by habitat loss and degradation of their habitat, and in some places also by overhunting, their population in Slovenia is increasing.
