Moretta

Comune nelle zone umide, dai laghi paludosi e bordati di canneti ai bacini aperti; localmente in mare in inverno, specialmente quando i laghi ghiacciano. Il maschio dal piumaggio distintivo e audace è inconfondibile: nero complessivamente con fianchi bianchi brillanti (più bianchi della moretta grigia) e un ciuffo pendente. La femmina è complessivamente marrone scuro con un ciuffo corto, fianchi più chiari, occhi giallo-oro fissi e spesso una macchia bianca disordinata alla base del becco. In volo, entrambi i sessi mostrano un'evidente stria alare bianca. Spesso in stormi in inverno; si nutre principalmente immergendosi, ma spesso trascorre gran parte della giornata dormendo. Nidificante diffuso in tutta l'Eurasia, sverna in Africa centrale, India e Sud-est asiatico. Raro vagante invernale in Nord America, dove si trova quasi sempre singolarmente tra stormi di morette grigie. Rispetto alla moretta grigia, il Moriglione mostra sempre un dorso nerastro molto scuro, e anche le femmine quasi senza ciuffo sono più scure della moretta grigia con una macchia bianca più limitata sul viso.

Identificazione

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:

Areale e habitat

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.