# Long-tailed Duck (*Clangula hyemalis*) The Long-tailed Duck is a beautiful bird known for its long, flowing tail and colorful feathers. These ducks love to swim in cold waters and dive deep to find tasty food like fish and shellfish. - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 9 - **Habitat:** Coastal areas - **Also known as:** Oldsquaw ![Long-tailed Duck](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Long-tailed-duck.jpg&width=800) Photo: Wolfgang Wander, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Long-tailed-duck.jpg) ## Appearance The Long-tailed Duck has a unique appearance with its striking white, black, and brown plumage, which changes throughout the year. Males boast an exceptionally long, pointed tail streamer, distinguishing them from other ducks. Their white flanks, dark back, and contrasting cheek patches are also very distinctive. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Anseriformes - **Family:** Anatidae - **Genus:** Clangula ## Interesting facts - Long-tailed Ducks change their feather colors three times a year, more than most birds! - Male Long-tailed Ducks have tail feathers that can grow almost as long as their body! - Their loud, yodeling call can be heard for over a mile across the water! - They spend more time diving underwater than they do resting on the surface! ## Special abilities - **Super Deep Diver:** Long-tailed Duck can dive deeper than most ducks because of their dense bones and strong muscles, that helps them hunt for food far underwater. - **Cold Water Wonder:** Long-tailed Duck can survive freezing waters because of their thick layers of down feathers and fat, that helps them stay warm in icy environments. - **Underwater Flyer:** Long-tailed Duck can 'fly' underwater because of their powerful wings, that helps them chase agile prey with incredible speed and agility. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 40-60 cm - **Wingspan:** 70-80 cm - **Weight:** 0.5-1 kg - **Lifespan:** 10-20 years - **Speed:** 70 km/h - **Clutch Size:** 6-8 - **Incubation:** 26-29 days - **Migration Distance:** 3000 km ## Diet & Feeding These expert divers mostly eat small marine animals found deep underwater. - **Age differences:** Young ducklings eat mostly insects; adults switch to marine invertebrates and fish. - **Primary Foods:** mollusks, crustaceans, small fish, aquatic insects - **Foraging Method:** Pursuit ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** [Arctic Fox](https://www.snappit.app/explore/arctic-fox) (*Vulpes lagopus*) — preys on eggs and ducklings - **Eaten by:** [Glaucous Gull](https://www.snappit.app/explore/glaucous-gull) (*Larus hyperboreus*) — opportunistically eats eggs and young - **Hunts:** Common Mussel (*Mytilus edulis*) — a primary seabed food source - **Hunts:** Three-spined Stickleback (*Gasterosteus aculeatus*) — small fish preyed upon underwater ## Traits - [Feathered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/feathered): Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers. - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Aerial](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aerial): Aerial creatures spend a significant portion of their lives airborne, utilizing flight for various activities such as hunting, migration, or nesting. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Piscivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/piscivorous): Piscivorous organisms are animals that primarily subsist on a diet of fish. - [Coastal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/coastal): Coastal habitats are dynamic environments located along the interface between land and sea, influenced by tides, waves, and saltwater. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. - [Aquatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aquatic): Aquatic habitats encompass environments where organisms live predominantly in water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. - [Marine](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/marine): Marine habitats encompass all saltwater environments of the Earth's oceans, supporting an immense diversity of aquatic life. - [Migratory](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/migratory): Migratory animals undertake seasonal movements from one region to another, typically in response to changes in climate or food availability. ## Collections - [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/birds) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always watch birds from a distance and do not try to touch or chase them. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Long-tailed Duck? Compare the silhouette, bill shape, tail length, wing bars and markings around the eyes. The same small brown bird at your feeder can look quite different in breeding plumage, winter plumage or its first year. Bird Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Long-tailed Duck? 40-60 cm ### What is Long-tailed Duck's wingspan? 70-80 cm ### How much does Long-tailed Duck weigh? 0.5-1 kg ### How long does Long-tailed Duck live? 10-20 years ### How fast can Long-tailed Duck move? 70 km/h ### What does Long-tailed Duck eat? These expert divers mostly eat small marine animals found deep underwater. ### Where is Long-tailed Duck usually found? Coastal areas ## Where to spot - [Devil's Kitchen](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/devils-kitchen) — Michigan, US · Nature Reserve - [Crowley Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/crowley-historic-district) — Louisiana, US · Historic District - [Fort Mackinac](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/fort-mackinac) — Michigan, US · Historic Site - [Fuller Gardens](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/fuller-gardens) — New Hampshire, US · Botanical Garden - [ME's Zoo](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/mes-zoo) — Indiana, US · Zoo - [Mytoi](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/mytoi) — Massachusetts, US · Botanical Garden [View all places to see Long-tailed Duck](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/long-tailed-duck) ## More Birds - [Black-crowned Night Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-crowned-night-heron) (*Nycticorax nycticorax*) - [Anna's Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/annas-hummingbird) (*Calypte anna*) - [Great Egret](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-egret) (*Ardea alba*) - [Blue Jay](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-jay) (*Cyanocitta cristata*) --- Source: [Long-tailed Duck: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/long-tailed-duck)