Histrionicus histrionicus

North America; Oceania; from Northern Labrador to Virginia

Gulf of Maine, Gulf of Mexico, North West Atlantic, United Kingdom Exclusive Economic Zone

The Harlequin Duck is found in north-western and north-estern North America, eastern Russia, the Aleutian Islands, southern Greenland and Iceland. It can winter further south, being found off Korea, northern California and North Carolina (USA)¹.

Harlequin ducks breed in Alaska and Yukon, south to Wyoming, California, and Massachusetts, from southern Baffin Island and Quebec south to Labrador and the Gaspe Peninsula. They also breed in Greenland and Iceland. They winter along the coasts of the Bering Sea Islands, Japan, Korea, China, California, and from southern Labrador to Long Island.

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); palearctic (Introduced ); oceanic islands (Introduced )

Other Geographic Terms: holarctic

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: (>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)) Holarctic. Nesting occurs in Eurasia and two disjunct regions in North America. Pacific population breeds from western Alaska (see Johnson and Herter 1989 for details), northern Yukon, northern British Columbia, and southern Alberta south to Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, and east of the Continental Divide in Montana (perhaps historically in California and Colorado). The Atlantic population breeds from Baffin Island (at least formerly), Greenland, and Iceland through central and eastern Quebec, eastern Labrador, northern Newfoundland (perhaps historically much more widely in the North Atlantic region). This duck occurs in summer in Mackenzie Valley and near Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories. In the Palearctic, harlequin ducks breed in Iceland and Greenland, and from the Lena River in Siberia east to Kamchatka and south to northern Mongolia and the Kurile Islands (American Ornithologists Union 1983). During the nonbreeding season, harlequin ducks occur in Eurasia; Aleutian and Pribilof islands south to central California; southern Labrador, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, south to Maryland (but mostly north of Cape Cod); accidental in Hawaii; they are much more abundant in the Aleutians than farther south in southwestern Canada and U.S. Pacific Northwest.

Pacific and Atlantic coasts of Canada and northern United States.

Harlequin ducks are between 35.6 and 50.8 centimeters and weigh 0.45 to 0.68 kilograms. Males have blue-grey bodies with chestnut flanks and distinctive white patches on the head and body. These white patches are outlined with black. In flight males show white on their wings with a metallic blue speculum. Females are dusky brown with two or three whitish patches on the sides of the face. Females do not have any white on their wings in flight and do not have a speculum. However, when this species molts it is hard to distinguish between males and females.

Range mass: 0.45 to 0.68 kg.

Range length: 35.6 to 50.8 cm.

Range wingspan: 61 to 70 cm.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: sexes colored or patterned differently; male more colorful

Length: 42 cm

Weight: 687 grams

Length: 35-51 cm., Wingspan: 65 cm.

ponds, rivers, coastal areas

Habitat and Ecology

Systems

• Terrestrial
• Freshwater
• Marine

Harlequin ducks live along fast flowing streams and rivers in rocky terrain with plenty of vegetation, such as trees, during breeding season in the summer. The offspring cannot be seen very well in this type of terrain. During summer they can be found as high as 3352 meters above sea level. In wintering locations they feed and rest in shallow shore waters, along rocky coastlines.

Range elevation: 0 to 3352 m.

Habitat Regions: temperate ; polar ; terrestrial ; saltwater or marine ; freshwater

Terrestrial Biomes: tundra ; forest

Aquatic Biomes: rivers and streams; coastal

Other Habitat Features: riparian

Depth range based on 1 specimen in 1 taxon.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 0 - 0
 
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

Comments: Winters in rough coastal waters, especially along rocky shores or reefs; summering nonbreeders and immatures also occur in this habitat (Cassirer et al. 1993).

Nests along fast-moving rivers and mountain streams on rocky islands or banks. Streams are braided to reticulate with many riffles and rapids (Cassirer et al. 1993). Requires relatively undisturbed, low gradient, meandering mountain streams with dense shrubby riparian areas (greater than 50% streamside shrub cover), and woody debris for nesting and brood rearing; also needs mid-stream boulders or log jams and overhanging vegetation for cover and loafing; indicator of high water quality (Spahr et al. 1991). Sometimes nests beside mountain lakes and lake outlets.

Nests in a hollow, usually under the cover of bushes within about 30 m of water; also in rock crevice among boulders, in rock cavity in cliff face, in a tree cavity (Cassirer et al. 1993), in a puffin burrow, or similar hidden site; occasionally on open tundra (Ehrlich et al. 1992). Tends to breed in the same area in successive years.

Summer: Mountain streams, fast-running water. Winter: Rocky coastal waters, rough and turbulent coastal waters.

Non-Migrant: No. All populations of this species make significant seasonal migrations.

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Migrates northward and inland in spring (March-June). Arrives in breeding areas in the intermountain western U.S. late-April through mid-May (Spahr et al. 1991). Moves southward along coast in fall, from September into November (Terres 1980). Usually returns to wintering areas off Alaska by the end of September (Johnson and Herter 1989). In the intermountain western U.S., males depart for the west coast soon after females begin incubating; breeding areas in late summer (Spahr et al. 1991). Young accompany their mothers to coastal molting or wintering areas in the late summer (Regehr et al. 2001).

Migrate in small flocks over short distances.

Harlequin ducks eat primarily an animal diet of invertebrates and some fish. They have been reported eating crustaceans, mollusks, insects, and small fish. Harlequin ducks dive for their food but also dip their heads in shallow water to obtain food.

Animal Foods: fish; eggs; insects; mollusks; aquatic crustaceans

Primary Diet: carnivore (Piscivore , Eats non-insect arthropods)

Comments: Diet is almost exclusively benthic aquatic invertebrates; feeds primarily on crustaceans and mollusks, also insects, and a few small fishes (Bellrose 1976); marine diet also includes roe. Dives for food in strong currents.

Mollusks, crustaceans, and insects. Also small fish and marine worms.

Harlequin ducks are important members of the ecosystems they inhabit. They are parasitized by lice and ticks.

Ecosystem Impact: creates habitat

Commensal/Parasitic Species:

• lice (Mallophaga)
• ticks (Acari)

Harlequin duck females and immature individuals are cryptically colored to protect them from predators. They are also vigilant and will swim or fly to escape threats. Reported predators include bald eagles, jaegers, ravens, and river otters on adults, and mink, martens, foxes, and wolves on nests.

Known Predators:

• bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
• Arctic jaegers (Stercorarius parasiticus)
• common ravens (Corvus corax)
• river otters (Lontra canadensis)
• mink (Neovison vison)
• American martens (Martes americana)
• red foxes (Vulpes vulpes)
• wolves (Canis lupus)

Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic

Note: For many non-migratory species, occurrences are roughly equivalent to populations.

Estimated Number of Occurrences: > 300

Comments: This species is represented by a large number of breeding and nonbreeding occurrences (subpopulations).

100,000 to >1,000,000 individuals

Comments: Recent population estimates are: Pacific population, one million individuals; Greenland population, 5,000 pairs; Iceland population, 3,000-5,000 pairs; and eastern North America population, 1,500-2,000 individuals (USFWS 1998). Estimate for the total U.S and Canada population is 165,000; a guesstimate for Russia is 50,000-100,000 (Goudie et al. 1994).

The historical population size of this species in eastern North America is debable, but it was probably never large (>10,000), and the current wintering population is probably no greater than 1,500 birds (Robertson and Goudie 1999).

Population size of the Pacific wintering population is known for certain selected areas: Washington, 1,500 (Schirato and Sharpe 1992); British Columbia, tens of thousands (Campbell et al. 1990); and the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, 150,000 (Byrd et al. 1992).

Estimated number of breeding pairs is 274 in Washington, 50 in Oregon, 50 in Idaho, 110 in Montana, and 40 in Wyoming; the species is much more numerous than this in Alaska and British Columbia (Harlequin Duck Working Group 1993). See Harlequin Duck Working Group (1993) for status summaries for individual states and provinces.

Often seen in compact flocks during the non-breeding season. Females and paired males show strong philopatry to wintering site; juvenile males appear to have higher emigration rates, making local population differentiation unlikely (Cooke et al. 2000, Robertson et al. 2000). Males are not territorial on the wintering grounds; it appears that Harlequin Ducks have a mate-defense mating system (Robertson et al. 2000). The group migration of mothers and offspring to traditional molting or wintering grounds may contribute to genetic differentiation among populations (Regehr et al. 2001).

Harlequin ducks communicate mainly with vocalizations. Males also perform courtship dances to attract females.

Communication Channels: visual ; acoustic

Lifespan of harlequin ducks normally ranges from 12 to 14 years in the wild. There is no information on the lifespan of harlequin ducks in captivity.

Typical lifespan
Status: wild: 12 to 14 years.

Maximum longevity: 14.6 years (wild) Observations: In the wild, these animals have been known to live up to 14.6 years (http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/BBL/homepage/longvrec.htm), but possibly they can live significantly longer. The sexual maturity is attained at about 1 year of age, but the breeding success is low until they are at least 5 years old (http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/).

When a female is looking for a mate, one characteristic that is looked for is bright plumage, indicating sexual selection in this sexually dichromatic species. Nice plumage is seen as a sign of good health. A female duck wants to choose a mate that will be able to protect her from other males during the mating season. Plumage of males is affected by age and the time of their last molt. Males also perform courtship dances to attract females. They will often shake their heads and tails while making a whistling noise when they are around females. They may also make short, ritualistic flights close to the water surface.

Mating System: monogamous

Harlequin ducks choose their mates beginning around October. Breeding begins in May and June. Harlequin ducks are seasonally monogamous, with pairs forming for a single breeding season. Females lay from 5 to 8 eggs, which hatch after 27 to 29 days. Young fledge and become independent by 70 days old. Breeding success for both males and females remains low until the age of 5, even though they become sexually mature at around 2 years old.

Breeding interval: Harlequin ducks breed once yearly.

Breeding season: Harlequin ducks breed from May to June.

Range eggs per season: 5 to 8.

Range time to hatching: 27 to 29 days.

Range fledging age: 60 to 70 days.

Range time to independence: 70 (low) days.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 2 years.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 2 years.

Key Reproductive Features: seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)

Females invest heavily in raising their offspring. Males participate in nest building. Once a female begins to incubate the eggs, the male leaves and migrates back to the ocean to undergo the annual molt. Females incubate eggs with her down feathers and through the development of a brood patch, where she loses feathers. This way, not only are the down feathers heating the eggs, but when she is on the nest her bare skin will be directly on the eggs transferring her body heat efficiently. The brood patch actually fills with fluid to help incubate the eggs. Once the eggs hatch, the female takes her hatchlings to the water within a few days of hatching and teaches them how to catch and find their own food. Approximately 45 days later the offspring begin to fly. Females continue to protect their young until it is time for both the mother and the offspring to migrate back to coastlines. Sometimes there is post-independence association with the parents because these ducks often migrate to the same area yearly.

Parental Investment: precocial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Male, Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); post-independence association with parents

In the intermountain western U.S., incubation begins mid-May through late June, depending on elevation and snow melt (Spahr et al. 1991). Male defends female until incubation begins, then pair bond ends. Clutch size is 5-10 (usually 6-8). Incubation reported as 27-32 days, by female. Nestlings are precocial and downy. Young are tended by female, first fly in 5-6 weeks. Brood size at fledging usually is 2-5. First breeds apparently at 2 years. Compared to other ducks, productivity is relatively low (Spahr et al. 1991) and highly variable from year to year. Long-term pair bond, renewed on the wintering grounds each year (Smith et al. 2000; Gowans et al. 1997; Robertson et al. 1999; Robertson et al. 2000).

First breeds at 2 years old. Nest is built by the female, hidden in bushes or among rocks. 5-7 eggs incubated by the female for 27-30 days. Young can feed themselves. Broods are combined and tended by several females.

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.

There are 5 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank.  Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.  See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.

Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 5
Specimens with Barcodes: 5
Species With Barcodes: 1

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N4B,N3N : N4B: Apparently Secure - Breeding, N3N: Vulnerable - Nonbreeding

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N4B,N4N : N4B: Apparently Secure - Breeding, N4N: Apparently Secure - Nonbreeding

Year Assessed

Assessor/s

Reviewer/s

Contributor/s

Justification

History

• 2008
  Least Concern
• 2004
  Least Concern

Harlequin ducks are not endangered currently. At one point they were considered threatened on the Atlantic coastline. These ducks are susceptible to oil spills, since they spend most of their time in the water, and high mortality has resulted from previous oil spills. For example, Alaskan harlequin ducks were still exhibiting reduced survival rates as a result of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill as late as 1998. Logging is a significant threat in the state of Washington because it removes suitable forests along the streams that these ducks use during the breeding season. Also, logging causes silt build up in streams, reducing the amount of prey available.

US Migratory Bird Act: protected

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

State of Michigan List: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

Rounded Global Status Rank: G4 - Apparently Secure

Reasons: Although still globally widespread, the Atlantic population may be reaching critically low levels and the Pacific population has experienced substantial declines. Harlequins may exhibit high breeding and wintering site fidelity and small local breeding populations, and are thus subject to local extirpations. Declining overall populations may provide little chance of recolonization.

Population of eastern North America has declined, but there is no official conservation status.

Global Short Term Trend: Relatively stable to decline of 30%

Comments: Both breeding and wintering distribution and abundance appear to be declining in western North America (Harlequin Duck Working Group 1993, Goudie et al. 1994). The Pacific North American populations appear to be stable in some areas (ID, MT, WY) and declining in others (Alberta, Aleutian Islands) (Harlequin Duck Working Group 1993). Recent analyses suggest declines in Maine stopped by 1992, with gradual increase in late 1990s (USFWS 1998).

Global Long Term Trend: Relatively stable to decline of 50%

Comments: Atlantic population in North America has undergone a significant decline this century and continues to decline (Goudie 1989, 1991, Harlequin Duck Working Group 1993). Declined in most of eastern North America from the late 1970s to early 1990s (Harlequin Duck Working Group 1993). Very small numbers and declining in eastern Canada (Goudie, 1990 COSEWIC report).

Degree of Threat: Low

Comments: Threatened by habitat degradation in breeding and wintering areas including: destruction of riparian areas; destruction of watershed stability and stream flow regimes by mining, roads, and timber harvest; impoundments and diversions on breeding streams; destruction of food base via pesticides; shoreline development and activities on wintering and breeding areas; disturbance by recreational river users and hikers in breeding areas (Spahr et al. 1991). Mortality factors include: over-harvesting of remnant populations; oil and other contamination in coastal areas (Harlequin Duck Working Group 1993). Oil may chronically recontaminate birds and eliminate reproduction (Patten 1993).

Management Requirements: Trails and roads should be greater than 165 ft from inhabited streams and should not be visible from the streams. Road closures may be important in some areas to reduce disturbance (Thomas et al. 1993). Logging should be avoided in riparian areas.

Management Research Needs: Cassirer et al. (1993) recommended the following: conduct research into the effects of human disturbance, forestry practices, insect control, and river impoundments on breeding areas; investigate possibilities for mitigation and habitat restoration; and examine impacts of oil contamination, including chronic low level oil pollution in near-shore environments.

Biological Research Needs: The Harlequin Duck Working Group (1993) recommended the following: examine productivity, survival and recruitment rates; investigate food habits and feeding requirements in breeding areas (especially Atlantic population); investigate movement, migration, and dispersal patterns within and between breeding and wintering areas; examine genetic differences among breeding populations.

Global Protection: Many to very many (13 to >40) occurrences appropriately protected and managed

Comments: Breeding subpopulations are protected in Glacier National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and Bob Marshall Wilderness. and the mountain national and provincial parks of British Columbia, Alberta, and Yukon. Many nonbreeding occurrences are in areas that afford adequate protection from threats other than oil spills and other aquatic pollution.

Needs: A status review is needed to determine if federal protection of the Atlantic population in the United States is warranted under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

There is no evidence suggesting that harlequin ducks have a negative impact on humans.

Ducks in general have always been important to humans. Many types of ducks are hunted and consumed by cultures around the world. As a game animal, harlequin ducks have an economic importance to the duck hunting industry.

Positive Impacts: food ; research and education