There is no escaping them nowadays, they are popping up everywhere. Or actually under, because it is a diving duck species (commonly called pochards or scaups). You see them floating on the water and then suddenly, ‘plop’, it goes into hiding, usually just as you press the button… Especially in winter you can see them in large numbers on Dutch waters. You also see a lot throughout the year, which are others, who are away from the winter. Before 2000 there was sporadically a breeding pair in the Netherlands, now there are more than 10,000 breeding pairs. You see them nowadays almost more often now than the ordinary ‘mallard’.

Unmistakable by the beautiful crest, in both the male and the female: the Tufted duck (Aythya fuligula). The male is beautifully black with white flanks, his head is also black, but has a kind of purple glow. Striking are of course those beautiful yellow eyes, nicely contrasting against that blackisch head. The females come off a bit more scant in terms of color, they have only a nice chocolate brown color, but also have such a yellow eye.

They often swim in large groups together (for safety) with other duck species such as the orange-brown-headed Common Pochard and the Greater Tufted Duck, which is very similar to the Tufted Duck. However, the latter is a size larger and has no crest.

And what are they diving for? Well they dive (up to 6 meters) to the bottom of the water and look for shellfish, etc. You’d think those big bright eyes would help, but no, they do it by touch. They take a bite of the bottom, then filter the shellfish out of the silt and swallow the whole shell all the way. This is then cracked in the stomach.