Tufted duck
Amazing fact
Tufted ducks launch slightly out of the water as they dive.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Tufted ducks launch slightly out of the water as they dive.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Tufted duck
- Scientific name
- Aythya fuligula
- Japanese name
- キンクロハジロ
- Group
- Birds
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
- Genus
- Aythya
It is a duck that comes to Japan to spend the winter, and it can be seen even on ponds in city parks.
Its Japanese name comes from its golden-looking yellow eyes, its black face and back, and the white feathers that show on its wings.
Its legs are set far back on its body, which makes it a good diver, and it eats shellfish and other food from the bottom.
How the Tufted duck lives
They are usually active by day but may migrate at night. They also eat plant leaves, stems and roots. They are social during migration and outside the breeding season.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebBasic data
- Size
- Total length: males about 44 cm, females about 38 cm
- Diet
- Shellfish living on the bottom and other animals
- Range
- Japan, Siberia, and Europe
- Conservation status in Japan
- Vulnerable (VU)Ministry of the Environment of Japan, 5th Red List (2026)
Where the Tufted duck has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- キンクロハジロ
- 简体中文
- 凤头潜鸭
- 繁體中文
- 環頸潛鴨
- 한국어
- 댕기흰죽지
- Español
- Porrón moñudo
- Français
- Fuligule morillon
- Deutsch
- Reiherente
- Português (Brasil)
- Zarro-negrinha
- Italiano
- Moretta
- العربية
- زرقاي
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Kambangan hitam
- Tiếng Việt
- Vịt búi lông
- Русский
- Хохлатая чернеть
- Türkçe
- Tepeli patka
- ไทย
- เป็ดเปีย
- বাংলা
- কালো হাঁস
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 井の頭自然文化園 — キンクロハジロChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Aythya fuligulaChecked: 2026-11-03
- Ministry of the Environment of Japan, 5th Red List (2026)Checked: 2026-11-07
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
The conservation status in Japan is the category in the Red Lists of the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, which assess the risk of extinction for wild animals in Japan.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Tufted duck, look for this
- Look for the long tuft of feathers on the back of a male’s head.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
井の頭自然文化園EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Tufted duck
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Kanto
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
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