Long-tailed Duck

The Long-tailed Duck, formerly known as the Oldsquaw, can dive to 60 metres and
shares with the King Eider the title of "deepest diving duck in the world." Most water-
fowl that overwinter here hug Vancouver's protected shores, but this tough sea duck
prefers to ply deeper open waters; it is the ancient mariner of the Pacific ocean and
can survive violent winter gales that would scuttle many boats. Fortunately for
Vancouver birders, small rafts of Long-tailed Ducks regularly visit shoreline jetties,
peninsulas and reefs that protrude into deeper water. The Iona Island ferry jetty,
Tsawwassen ferry jetty and Stanley Park seawall regularly support small flocks of
these birds during the winter. In March, Long-tailed Ducks may congregate at sea in
the hundreds to feed on the glut of eggs available during the brief Pacific herring
spawn. By the end of April, most birds have moved north to their arctic breeding
grounds, although Boundary Bay occasionally harbours a small summer population
of nonbreeding individuals.

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