Long-crested Duck
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| Click images to enlarge. Breeding male above, female below. |
Long-crested
Duck,
Varianas supercillius L 35-45 cm, WS 60-70 cm, W 250-450 g Family:
Anatidae
IUCN Conservation Status:
Vulnerable
(VU)
Description:
Boldly
patterned, small, compact duck. Breeding males have rufous cheeks and back, tan
breast with black spotting fading to white flanks, and iridescent blue-green
head and wings. A large white spot site between the eye and bill, which
connects to extremely long and thin white feathers extending from the eyebrows,
similar to those found in some species of penguin. Bill is small, dark, and
males have a yellow knob at the tip. Females are rufous above and whitish below
with brown barring, no blue on the head, and more extensie white on the face. Females
lack the double crests and yellow bill knob. Males in eclipse plumage similar
to females but with more male-like undersides.
Voice:
Males
emit high-pitched squeaks and whistles, as well as a low “flatulent” call when disturbed.
Females give loud, high-pitched barks when alarmed, separated, and taking
flight. In general, females are more vocal than males.
Range and Habitat:
Found
throughout forested regions of Novasola and Kosatka Island. They prefer small
bodies of freshwater surrounded by trees, like forested ponds, creeks, swamps,
and other wooded wetlands. They will be seen on larger lakes and marshes away
from forests occasionally. They have a particular affinity for beaver ponds,
and most prefer bodies of water with plenty of cover, like shrubs, aquatic
plants, downed wood, tall reeds, or boulders.
Discussion:
The
bold and colorful Long-crested Duck is the smallest species of duck endemic to
Novasola. The drake’s elegant double crests, the collection of long,
ribbon-like feathers extending over each eyebrow which give the bird its common
name, are unique and combine with the duck’s remarkable colors and iridescence to
make Long-crested Ducks one of the most striking waterfowl, in North America at
least.
Long-crested
Ducks are most common in small bodies of freshwater with plenty of woody cover
or vegetation and surrounded by trees. They rarely leave shallow water and
prefer to be near cover. They are especially fond of beaver ponds, and show a
highly positive selection for beaver ponds. In fact, the massive declines in
beaver populations during the 1800s is thought to be a significant driver in
the duck’s declines. This habitat preference extends to nesting as well, as Long-crested
Ducks are cavity-nesters, meaning they build their nests inside hollowed logs
or trees. Most often these holes are located in rotting sections of live trees
or in snags. Ducks will occasionally use woodpecker holes if large enough, and
may compete with owls and squirrels for nesting sites, though these competitions
are mostly one-sided. Long-crested Ducks will nest as far as ten kilometers
from water, but cavities directly above or close to water are preferentially
selected. Nest cavities are almost always at least a meter off the ground, but
on rare occasions Long-crested Ducks will nest in ground-level cavities like rotted
logs or stumps. Apart from the nest, Long-crested Ducks never perch in trees. Females
select nest sites and incubate eggs, while her paired male will bring her food.
Once the chicks are ready to leave the nest they will follow the mother to the
nearest water source, including a first leap from the nest tree, which can be a
fall from as high as 30 feet. This is similar to behaviors seen in Wood Ducks,
another cavity nester and a related species. Long-crested Ducks are generally non-migratory
and will remain in an area year-round, except when water freezes in the winter
when they may move to unfrozen water, either southward, to lower elevations, or
to larger water bodies.
The
Long-crested Duck diet consists of plant and animal matter, including buds, seeds
and nuts, fruits, aquatic vegetation, and invertebrates like insects, isopods,
and mollusks. Long-crested Ducks will eat more terrestrial plants, nuts, and
seeds than other endemic ducks, in part because of their forest habitat. This
can include acorns and madrone fruit. Long-crested Ducks can be found in
semi-developed areas like rural or suburban parks and agricultural land, and in
these cases they may eat a wider array of ornamental or agricultural fruits. When
foraging in water Long-crested Ducks are dabblers, which means they eat from
the surface only and will not dive underwater. They will however reach as far
as they can underwater leaving only their rumps sticking out of the water, like
mallards and other dabblers.
Once
far more common across Novasola, Long-tailed Ducks saw dramatic population
crashes in the 19th and early 20th centuries, such that
they were once considered for the endangered species list. These precipitous
declines can be attributed to many factors, including habitat loss and overhunting.
They were hunted excessively for meat, trophies, but especially by plume
hunters at the turn of the 20th century who targeted the birds for
their eyebrow plumes and shiny primary feathers. They have suffered major
losses to habitat, in part due to the overhunting of beavers. Beavers were
responsible for creating the majority of wooded swamps and ponds on Novasola
but were hunted for their pelts and were extirpated from much of the island,
which resulted in a huge decline in available habitat for the ducks. Logging
and development of swamps and wetlands also has destroyed much of Long-tailed
Duck habitat. It is thought that Long-tailed Ducks were likely saved from
extinction solely by their cavity-nesting behavior. Because they nest protected
in trees, they have not suffered from the introduction of animals like dogs, cats,
rats, pigs, and other invasive the same way ground nesters have. What’s more,
an effort to build and place many nest boxes to mimic natural cavities across
many parts of the state, similar to campaigns for Wood Ducks, has been a marked
success. Thanks to intensive conservation actions like that, beaver
reintroductions, and better forest management, Long-tailed Duck populations,
though low, are stable. There is a limited hunting season for Long-crested
Ducks, which in part helps fund their conservation, and they are a particularly
popular game fowl, prized for their beauty, taste, and difficulty. Indigenous people
have hunted the duck since time immemorial and use the feathers, especially the
display plumes, in ceremonial ornamentation. In the Ciganakin language, the bird
is called qamtiqiq, or “eyebrow bird”.
Around
the time of the NRC expeditions, Long-crested Ducks were facing their greatest
population declines and were thus quite rare. Richard Reichwald only recorded a
few encounters with the species during the expeditions, and a handful more
prior to publishing Native Birds. Reichwald was an early advocate for
Long-crested Duck conservation, and when he passed away in 1948 the species had
already begun to recover thanks to recent efforts, including mass nest box
campaigns. Now, thanks to better habitat management practices, Long-crested
Ducks are more common.
“The
Long-crested Drake, so elegant as any fowl, is betrayed by the graceful ribbons
extending from his forehead, pushed backward to rest atop his back. Should
these delicate plumes be too subtle, they rest atop stunning teal wings which
shine in proper light. Evidently legion are those attracted to these feathers,
as a sportsman would fair better to find them atop the ladies of Cape George
than in the swamps and bottomlands of the Fastwaters. The living ducks are relegated
now to the most remote corners of the territory where man has no cause to
travel.” – Manual to Novasolan Birds, 1914
“Exalted!
For the first time since my arrival to the territory I have seen Long-crested
Ducks! Leaving our camp, the only dry patch of the valley, this morning before
sunrise I was met with whistling calls from the swamp. As soon as light
afforded me better vision I could observe a small group of the ducks, including
two drakes. They were feeding in the shallow water half-obscured by reeds. After
a few minutes observation, I stood to squeeze water from my moccasins and
startled the birds, who in a cacophony took to the air and flew eastward,
deeper into the valley.” – Expedition logs, October 31, 1902
“The
fowl were feeding along the bank of a small mirk, a puddle more than a pond,
that I stumbled upon during my morning exploration. Overgrown with weeds and thorns
and stumps, I suspect this pond to be ephemeral and quite shallow, and was
located in a small valley about an hour’s walk from our camp. I took shot and
was able to bring two back for a solid meal and solid specimen.” – Expedition logs,
July 21, 1903
“Exploring
these most remote of mountains, I do expect to find wonders no countrymen have
yet witnessed. Such was the case today, when our company came across a beaver
dam of such proportions I could not behold it all at once. Captain Dyer has
estimated its width at nearly a kilometer, and behind it a lake at least three
times as long.
…
Amid
the standing deadwood of the flooded forest I counted several Long-crested
Ducks, welcome company to distract me from the biting flies and decaying odor
of the muck.” – Expedition logs, August 26, 1904