Birds of Singapore
by the Bird Society of Singapore
Aythya fuligula
Family: Ducks, Swans, and Geese · Status: Vagrant · Size: 40–47 cm · Conservation: Least Concern
Breeds across northern Palearctic from Iceland east to Kamchatka; winters to equatorial Africa, the Middle East, Indian subcontinent, southern China, Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia.
Male black overall with contrasting white flanks, pale grey bill with black tip, yellow eyes, drooping black crest over nape, and glossy purple head (visible only in good light). Female dark brown with paler lower neck, breast and flanks, a squared-off head shape and slight nuchal tuft; may show white at the base of the bill. Juvenile resembles female but has paler head and upperparts. In flight, shows a broad white wing-stripe across the secondaries.
Freshwater lakes, reservoirs, and marshes.