White-headed Duck

Oxyura leucocephala (Scopoli, 1769)

		male females/jevrniles chicks
2021-05-01 Novosibirsk region 2010-08-27 Karasuk, Karasuksky district, Novosibirsk region2011-07-03 Karasuk, Karasuksky district, Novosibirsk region	© Ilya Sukhov © Andrey Bazdyrev© Andrey Bazdyrev

Description

The male of White-headed Duck in breeding plumage has mostly brownish-rusty color with little blackish-brown strikes and spots. The head is white with the black crown and black collar. The flight feathers are brownish, the axillaries are white, the tail is black; the upper tail coverts are dark-rusty, undertail is buffy with black strikes. The breast and flanks with the brown-rusty and black washing cross strips. The abdomen is grayish-brown. The female is distinguished from the male by the head's color; the female head is mostly dark-brown with the quite broad white strips above the eye and on the neck; the collar is grayish with brownish spots; the uppertail coverts are cross-striped. The male's bill is bright-blue, the female's one is grayish-blue; the legs are grey slightly greenish tinged. The eyes are nut-brown. Weight 510-890 grams, wing length 145-170 mm.

Distribution

Several local breeding areas in steppe and forest-steppe east from Ural Mountains, in the south of Western Siberia, and in Tuva.

Biology

The White-headed Duck is rare breeding migrant. Inhabits fresh and slightly salty deep lakes with reed-beds and open water on plains. Appears very late, April – end May. Migrates in small flocks of up to two dozen; migration probably mainly at night. Breeds in separate pairs. Nest is built from fresh reed leaves and rarely lined with down; rests on water in reed-beds or on floating old reed stems. Clutches of 5-7 very large eggs end May – mid-July. Juveniles recorded mid-June – end August. I.A. Dolgushin (1960) suggested White-headed Duck does not brood eggs constantly as they can incubate independently. Barely noticeable autumn migration from mid-September to end October.

References

В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Сибири". Москва-Екатеринбург, Изд-во "Кабинетный ученый", 2014.