09/07/2026
Harlequin Ducks
Small, boldly patterned diving ducks known as “sea mice” or “squeakers” for their high-pitched calls. They spend summers breeding in pounding, whitewater mountain streams and winters congregating along rocky, windswept coastlines.
Striking Plumage: Breeding males are visually unmistakable, featuring a blue-gray body marked with bold white and chestnut stripes. Females are drab grayish-brown with distinct white patches on their faces
Extreme Habitat: They endure severe conditions in fast-moving, icy waters. Their plumage is exceptionally dense, trapping air for high buoyancy and critical insulation
Tough Survivors: Because of their constant proximity to jagged rocks in violent surf, most adult Harlequin Ducks live with a lifetime’s accumulation of healed fractures
European Distribution: In Europe, Iceland is the only place these birds nest. They are found across northern rivers in the spring and move to rocky coastal waters during the winter.
Reykjavík Foto Sony | Alpha Sony á Íslandi
