15 Types of DUCKS That Live in Latvia! (2023)
Do you want to learn about the types of ducks found in Latvia?
Well, you’ve come to the right place. As you will see, there are all kinds of colorful, beautiful, and odd-looking ducks here!
In this article, you will find descriptions, photos, and RANGE MAPS for each species. I’ve also included some fun facts about these incredible water birds. 🙂
15 types of ducks in Latvia!
#1. Mallard
- Anas platyrhynchos
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males have a bright green head, thin white collar, dark reddish-brown chest, yellow bill, and a black rump with a white-tipped tail.
- Females are mottled brown with orange and brown bills.
- Both sexes have purple-blue secondary feathers on their wings, most visible when standing or flying.
My guess is that almost everyone is familiar with the Mallard. These ducks are the most common species in Latvia!
Mallards are extremely comfortable around people, which is why these adaptable ducks are widespread. They are found in virtually any wetland habitat, regardless of location.
Mallards readily accept artificial structures built for them by humans. If you have a nice pond or a marsh, feel free to put up a homemade nesting area to enjoy some adorable ducklings walking around your property! Make sure you put up predator guards so predators can’t get to the eggs.
When you think of a duck quacking, it is almost inevitably a female Mallard. If there is a better duck sound, we haven’t heard it! Interestingly, males do not quack like females but, instead, make a raspy call.
#2. Common Merganser
- Mergus merganser
Identifying Characteristics:
- This fairly large duck has a long, slender orange bill with a black tip and dark eyes.
- Breeding males have a largely white body, a black back, and a mallard-like green head.
- Females and nonbreeding males sport cinnamon-colored heads and grayish-white bodies.
Due to their thin bill, Common Mergansers stand out fairly easily from most other ducks in Latvia. Their favorite food is fish, which they catch with the help of their serrated bill, but they also indulge in aquatic invertebrates such as crustaceans, mollusks, insects, and worms.
Common Mergansers are so good at fishing that many other ducks try to steal from them when they surface. It’s common to see flocks of seagulls following them, hoping to snatch an easy meal. Even Bald Eagles have been known to rob them of their hard-earned fish!
Naturally, these ducks nest in tree cavities that woodpeckers have carved out. Interestingly, newborn ducklings are only about a day old when they leap from the entrance to the ground, at which point the mother will lead them to water. Then, they hop into the water and immediately catch their own food. It’s a steep learning curve, but these ducklings are up for the challenge!
#3. Northern Shoveler
- Spatula clypeata
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males have reddish-brown flanks, green heads, a white chest, black backs, and yellow eyes.
- Females are brown, and sometimes you can see a bluish shoulder patch.
- Both sexes have distinctive bills, which are large and wide!
If you only glance at the green head, casual European observers might accidentally think these ducks are Mallards. But one look up close, and you should notice the ENORMOUS spoon-shaped bill, which is how Northern Shovelers got their name.
They use their large bill to shovel and sift through mud and sand to find tasty tidbits like crustaceans, mollusks, and buried aquatic insects. Interestingly, their bill has over 100 tiny projections on the edges called lamellae that help filter out the food they want to eat. An interesting behavior observed with Northern Shovelers is their ability to “team up” to find food. Flocks of them will sometimes swim in circles together to help stir up food!
Males make a guttural “took-took” sound during courtship, when alarmed, and in flight. Females make a nasally-sounding quack.
#4. Common Goldeneye
- Bucephala clangula
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males have dark green heads, bright yellow eyes, and distinctive white cheek patches. Their bodies are mostly white, with a black back and rump.
- Females have a brown head, a short dark bill with a yellow tip at the end, and a pale yellow eyes. Look for their white neck collar and grayish bodies.
Common Goldeneyes are expert diving ducks in Latvia.
These birds can stay underwater for up to a minute as they search for their prey, including aquatic invertebrates, fish, and fish eggs, along with seeds and tubers from submerged vegetation.
Luckily, their population has remained strong and stable. One of their biggest threats is that they are cavity nesters and rely upon forestry practices that don’t cut down dead trees. Many dedicated people have put up nest boxes in their breeding range to help provide more adequate nesting spots.
Many people refer to the Common Goldeneye as the “whistler” because their wings make distinctive whistling noises when flying. Both males and females are generally silent ducks except during courtship.
#5. Northern Pintail
- Anas acuta
Identifying Characteristics:
- Slender ducks with long tails and necks and a pale black-gray bill.
- Males have cinnamon-brown heads, gray bodies, and white throats and breasts.
- Females have plain, tan heads and rufous-brown plumage on their bodies.
Northern Pintails have long neck that exaggerates their extremely pointy tail (hence the name) when in flight. Even when floating on water, their tails stick out further than their heads. Nonbreeding males and all females have shorter but still prominent pintails.
The best place to find these ducks in Latvia is in wetland habitats away from people. Wildlife refuges are the perfect places to start. Northern Pintails tend to stick to shallower areas near the edges of lakes and ponds. Interestingly, they are also proficient at walking on land, so you’ll find them cleaning farm fields of barley, wheat, rice, and corn leftovers.
Northern Pintails only migrate at night and are incredible flyers! During migration, they reach speeds up to 77 kph (48 mph), and the record for the longest non-stop flight is 2900 km (1,800 miles).
Males have a unique call that sounds like a train whistle. Females utter low-pitched quacking “kuk” notes.
#6. Tufted Duck
- Aythya fuligula
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males are black all over, with white sides and a white bill. They have a thin crest at the back of the head.
- Females are dark brown with slightly lighter flanks and a silvery-gray bill.
- Both sexes have golden-yellow eyes.
The easiest way to recognize male Tufted Ducks is by looking for the plume of long feathers on their heads. Their “tuft” is what this species is named for. It’s more apparent in males, but females also have longer feathers on their heads.
Tufted Ducks prefer marshy habitats with plenty of vegetation, which they use for nesting and to hide from predators. They most often dive into the water for food. Mollusks, including snails, are their primary food source, but they also eat aquatic insects and plants.
#7. Common Shelduck
- Tadorna tadorna
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males’ bodies are a mix of black, white, and cinnamon. Their heads are black, and their bills are red, with a large knob extending over the forehead.
- Females have similar coloring as males, though less bold. They lack the knob over the forehead.
Look for these ducks in open, unforested areas near lakes and rivers in Latvia. During molting, you can spot groups of up to 100,000 Common Shelducks together in salt marshes! It’s quite a party when these noisy ducks get together.
In addition to remaining in large groups, this duck has an ingenious way of protecting its young from predators. If they sense a threat, the babies will dive under the water’s surface while the parents fly off, acting as a decoy. This lures the predator away while the parents circle and return to their chicks.
They have a loud, rattling call that raises and lowers in pitch and speed.
#8. Eurasian Wigeon
- Mareca penelope
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males have a chestnut head and neck with a white forehead, pinkish breast, and gray, white, and black body.
- Females are gray and light brown overall with dots and mottling on the head and body.
The Eurasian Wigeon spends its breeding season in the north and migrates south for the winter. Interestingly, this species occasionally makes its way to North America, where it cross-breeds with the American Wigeon. Hybrids almost always look more like Eurasian Wigeons, although some keep the American Wigeon’s signature green eye patch.
This species is relatively helpless against predators, so they use safety in numbers to protect themselves. You can find nonbreeding Eurasian Wigeons in open wetlands, where they form large protective flocks. Although, you may hear this noisy species long before you see it!
Listen for the male’s sharp whistle, which sounds like “pjiew pjiew” or the female’s low “rawr” noise.
#9. Common Eider
- Somateria mollissima
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males have a distinctive color pattern: most of their bodies are white, with black on the top of the head and rump. In addition, they have a wash of pale green on the nape of the neck.
- Females are mottled browns, with the same wedge-shaped beak as males.
The Common Eider is the largest native duck in Latvia!
It can weigh up to 3.04 kg (6 lb 11 oz) and grow as long as 71 cm (28 in). In addition to its gigantic size and bulky build, you can recognize this species by its distinctive, wedge-shaped bill.
Common Eiders nest in huge colonies on coastal islands. Up to 15,000 birds will flock together in a single location to raise their young! They frequently form creches, groups of breeding mothers taking care of their ducklings as a group.
In these groups, the mothers incubate their own eggs and spend the first few weeks taking care of them alone. Then, once the ducklings leave the nest, a group of females (including the mother) teaches them to find food, avoid predators, and swim. Just like humans, these ducks know it takes a village to raise kids!
#10. Muscovy Duck
- Cairina moschata
Identifying Characteristics:
- Both sexes are black and white, but the pattern of color is highly variable. Adults have bare skin on their faces, which looks like a pink mask. Their bills can be yellow, pink, black, or a combination of these colors.
- Males’ black feathers are iridescent, giving off a greenish sheen in the sunlight.
- Females lack the green tint and are usually more drab looking.
Identifying the Muscovy Duck can be challenging because this domesticated breed has many color variations. The easiest way to tell if you’ve seen this species is by its size since it’s larger than other ducks in Latvia.
Muscovy Ducks are native to South America, where they’ve been domesticated since the pre-Columbian era by Native Americans. They are bred primarily as a food source. They were originally brought to Latvia as farming stock, but some Muscovy Ducks escaped and established feral colonies in the wild. Interestingly, this breed is the ONLY domesticated duck that isn’t a descendant of the Mallard!
Today, there are feral populations of Muscovy Ducks found all over the world. In combination with wild subspecies, it’s one of the most widespread ducks. Their tolerance for cold weather and human presence makes them the perfect species for population growth, even outside their natural habitat. Look for Muscovy Ducks alongside lakes, rivers, and ponds in populated areas.
#11. Red-crested Pochard
- Netta rufina
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males have bright red bills and eyes, a chestnut head, and brown, black, and white bodies.
- Females are a soft, dusty brown with a pale gray neck and a black bill with a red-orange tip.
Like other diving ducks in Latvia, the Red-crested Pochard is highly social and forms large flocks.
You’re likely to find them in lowland marshes, where they spend their time in the water and among low vegetation. Some populations are year-round residents, although northern ducks migrate south for the winter.
Red-crested Pochards are comfortable around people and often make their homes in city parks! However, they stay near water, so parks with rivers or lakes are always the best place to look.
Did you know that bread isn’t good for ducks? Even though many people feed ducks stale bread, it’s hard for them to digest. Instead of bread, crackers, or table scraps, try feeding ducks cracked corn, oats, rice, birdseed, frozen peas, chopped lettuce, or sliced grapes. Ducks, including Red-crested Pochards, will be grateful!
You can also listen for this duck’s distinctive call. Males make a wheezy “veht” while females give a series of rasping “vrah-vrah-vrah” noises.
#12. Red-breasted Merganser
- Mergus serrator
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males have a dark head that shines green in the sunlight, rusty breast, black back, and white underparts.
- Females are gray-brown overall, with rusty heads.
- Both sexes have a spiky, thin crest of feathers on the back of their head.
Red-breasted Mergansers are one of the most widespread ducks across the world.
They live on four continents, spending their time in temperate and Arctic climates in the Northern Hemisphere. They breed in the far north of their range and then migrate south for the winter.
However, this species isn’t just famous for being widespread. It has the fasted recorded airspeed of any duck! It was clocked at 160 kph (100 mph) while being chased by a small airplane, breaking the previous record, which was just 122 kph (76 mph). You could even say the Red-breasted Merganser blew the record out of the water. 🙂
Partly because of their speedy flying, Red-breasted Mergansers burn calories incredibly fast. These ducks need to eat 15-20 fish per day! They spend up to five hours and dive upwards of 250 times to get all the food they need.
#13. Common Scoter
- Melanitta nigra
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males are completely black except for a small yellow patch on the bill and a ring of yellow around the eyes.
- Females are uniformly brown, with light patches on the cheeks.
Look for Common Scoters in coastal areas in Latvia. They eat mostly shellfish near the coast but will switch to eating fish and insects near fresh water.
This sea-faring species has an interesting history dating back to the 19th century. During that time, many Roman Catholics abstained from eating meat on Fridays, eating fish instead. However, fish could be hard to come by, so the Catholic church announced that Common Scoters and other “fishy tasting” birds could still be eaten. Based on that description, I think I would have passed! 🙂
One of the most impressive things about this species is the way they flock. They band into groups of hundreds of birds that stick together through rough seas and weather. This flocking behavior makes hunting and avoiding predators easier.
Here, a flock of Common Scoters pack together tightly in a line in the shallow surf and seemingly go on for miles!
#14. Long-tailed Duck
- Clangula hyemalis
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males are predominantly white, with black and brown patches. They have exceptionally long tail feathers that curve towards their backs.
- Females are a mix of reddish and dark brown with some white on the face and neck.
- Both sexes have chestnut-colored eyes.
The male Long-tailed Duck has an unmistakable appearance thanks to its sharply contrasting colors and long, thin tail feathers. Females lack long tail feathers but have the same basic shape, including a rounded head and small bill. Look for this duck in Latvia near marshes and coastlands.
Most Long-tailed Ducks congregate on the Baltic Sea, where up to 4.5 million of these ducks spend their winters! They spend the winter eating fish and shellfish, mostly near the surface of the water. However, if they need to, they can find food by diving deep under the surface.
In fact, Long-tailed Ducks can dive deeper than any other duck in Latvia.
They use their wings in a swimming motion, similar to a penguin. Long-tailed Ducks can dive up to 146 meters (480 feet) underwater to forage for crustaceans. This species is the only duck that uses its wings to dive. I bet the penguins are jealous they can’t fly like this duck!
#15. Smew
- Mergellus albellus
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males are white overall with irregular black lines on the neck and body. In addition, they have a black patch over the eye and a black bill.
- Females are gray overall with white on the throat and a reddish-chestnut cap.
Many people describe the male Smew as having a “cracked ice” or “panda” appearance, and these are both perfect descriptions. The black eye rings on the pure white face of this duck give it a distinctly panda-like look. And the distinctive lines on its body do look like cracks in an iceberg!
Females look very different but no less distinctive. Their gray bodies contrast sharply with their reddish-brown heads, leading to their nickname of “redheaded Smew.”
This species breeds in the taiga, or boreal forests. These “snow forests,” as they are sometimes called, are filled with densely packed evergreen trees like pine and spruce. Smews rely on the trees for breeding locations since they use knot holes instead of nests. They eat fish from inland lakes and rivers and never stray too far from these water sources.
Smews are shy and easily disturbed, so if you find one in the wild, be extra cautious. You’ll have to remain still and quiet to get a good look!
Do you need more help identifying ducks in Europe?
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Which of these ducks in Latvia have you seen before?
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