Tufted Duck

Aythya fuligula

This is a nearly annual visitor during the spring with sightings nearly annual since 2000 and more than 50 records for the Pribilofs since the 1910s, with many of them involving more than one individual over an extended period time. They are occasionally found earlier in the season, though the best time to see this species is from between May 15th and June 1st, with a gradual decline in records through the first half of June. Birds occasionally linger into early summer, with a few records of summer arrivals, though this species is not seen again with any regularity after early June. A single early fall arrival in August fits better into the pattern of a late summer wanderer while only a few September and October records exist for this species, which may be more common later in the season (October and November) when coverage has already ended for the year.

Photo by Stephan Lorenz
Tufted Duck (back) with Northern Pintail by Liam Singh
Tufted Duck (front) with Barrow’s Goldeneye by Cory Gregory