Long-tailed Duck

Clangula hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758)

≈46 cmLength71 cmWingspan871 gWeight

The male has a long, pointed tail, and even the darkness of its cheek patches changes between winter and summer.

Busiest months: January, March–May and November · Most records: United States, Canada, Iceland

Vulnerable

How to identify

Field marks

Male has a long, pointed tail
Male has a gray bill crossed by a pink band
Male in winter plumage has a mostly white head with dark cheek patches
Male in summer plumage has a dark head with white cheek patches

Male, female and young

Female has a rufous back and shorter tail; juvenile resembles adult female in autumn plumage, but with paler, less distinct cheek patches.

Voice

Male gives a melodious call sounding like “ow, ow, owal-ow”.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: January, March–May and November · Most records: United States, Canada, Iceland

Long-tailed Duck has been recorded at 948 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 55 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

To protect this bird from disturbance, we don't list exact sites.

Countries and regions with the most records

United States Canada Iceland United Kingdom Poland Norway Sweden Finland

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis) is a medium-sized sea duck that breeds in the tundra and taiga regions of the arctic and winters along the northern coastlines of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It is the only member of the genus Clangula.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Long-tailed Duck?

The Long-tailed Duck is about ≈46 cm long, with a wingspan of 71 cm and weighs around 871 g.

Where does the Long-tailed Duck live?

Its breeding range: North America, Palearctic: coastal Greenland, Iceland, northern Fennoscandia and Arctic archipelagos, northern Russia and Siberia to Chukotka Peninsula, Alaska and northern Canada. It is most often recorded in United States, Canada and Iceland.

When is the best time to see the Long-tailed Duck?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, March, April, May and November (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Long-tailed Duck endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Long-tailed Duck as Vulnerable.

What does the Long-tailed Duck eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Long-tailed Duck in?

It belongs to the family Ducks, Geese, Swans (Anatidae), order Anseriformes.

At a glance

Length: ≈46 cm
Wingspan: 71 cm
Weight: 871 g
Habitat: Wetland
Diet: Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle: On the water surface
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Vulnerable

More measurements

Wing: 216 mm
Tail: 131 mm
Bill: 32 mm
Tarsus: 33 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

North America, Palearctic: coastal Greenland, Iceland, northern Fennoscandia and Arctic archipelagos, northern Russia and Siberia to Chukotka Peninsula, Alaska and northern Canada

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2