Porrón moñudo

Común en humedales, desde lagos pantanosos y bordeados de juncos hasta embalses abiertos; localmente en el mar en invierno, especialmente cuando los lagos se congelan. El macho, con su patrón llamativo, es distintivo: completamente negro con flancos blancos brillantes (más blancos que los porrones) y una cresta colgante. La hembra es de color marrón oscuro en general con una cresta corta, flancos más pálidos, ojos amarillo-dorados penetrantes, y a menudo una mancha blanca desordenada en la base del pico. En vuelo, ambos sexos muestran una conspicua franja alar blanca. A menudo en bandadas en invierno; se alimenta principalmente buceando, pero a menudo pasa gran parte del día durmiendo. Reproductora extendida en Eurasia, inverna en África central, India y el sudeste asiático. Divagante invernal raro en Norteamérica, donde casi siempre se encuentra individualmente entre bandadas de porrones. En comparación con los porrones, el Porrón Moñudo siempre muestra un dorso muy oscuro casi negruzco, e incluso las hembras casi sin moño son más oscuras que los porrones con una mancha blanca más limitada en la cara.

Identificación

The adult male is all black except for white flanks and a blue-grey bill with gold-yellow eyes, along with a thin crest on the back of its head. It has an obvious head tuft that gives the species its name. The adult female is brown with paler flanks, and is more easily confused with other diving ducks. In particular, some have white around the bill base which resembles the scaup species, although the white is never as extensive as in those ducks. The females' call is a harsh, growling "karr", mostly given in flight. The males are mostly silent but they make whistles during courtship based on a simple "wit-oo".<p>The only ducks which are similar are the greater scaup and lesser scaup, but these species have no tuft and a different call.<p>The tufted duck is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.<p>Refer to the following table for measurements of the tufted duck:

Distribución y hábitat

The tufted duck breeds throughout temperate and northern Eurasia. It occasionally can be found as a winter visitor along both coasts of the United States and Canada. It is believed to have expanded its traditional range with the increased availability of open water due to gravel extraction, and the spread of freshwater mussels, a favourite food. These ducks are migratory in most of their range, and overwinter in the milder south and west of Europe, southern Asia and all year in the British Isles. One individual has been reported as far south as Melbourne, Australia. They form large flocks on open water in winter. Their breeding habitat is close to marshes and lakes with plenty of vegetation to conceal the nest. They are also found on coastal lagoons, shorelines and sheltered ponds.