Our UK ducks are beautiful, distinctive birds. Although there aren’t many species of ducks in the UK, they are on many birder’s lists to spot in their natural habitat. So to help you with your duck identification goals, we’ve put together a definitive list of UK ducks. Paired with identifying features and tips on where you can find them, here’s our UK duck identification guide.
How Many Types of Ducks Are There In The UK?
There are 162 species of ducks around the world[i], and you can find 22 of these duck species in the UK[ii]. Although most UK ducks are native, some, such as Canada geese and mandarin ducks, have been introduced into the country.
Our UK Ducks Identification Guide
The UK is home to a diverse selection of ducks, with many of the most interesting-looking birds surprisingly native. Here are all 22 species of UK ducks and how you can identify them on your travels.
Egyptian Goose
Scientific Name: Alpochen Aegyptiaca
Conservation Status: Introduced
Population: 1,100 breeding pairs
The Egyptian Goose was initially introduced as an ornamental wildfowl species but has escaped into the wild. This has allowed this goose to successfully breed around the country, although you can commonly see them on ornamental ponds close to their original habitat. The Egyptian Goose is a grey and pale brown bird with dark brown patches around its eyes and white wing patches visible during flight.
Shelduck
Scientific Name: Tadorna Tadorna
Conservation Status: Amber
Population: 15,000 breeding pairs
Distantly related to the Egyptian Goose, the Shelduck is a native bird that prefers a coastal habitat. The Shelduck is a distinctive bird with a red bill, glossy green head and black, white and brown feathers. They also have a dark band around the chest, which helps distinguish them from other UK ducks.
Mallard
Scientific Name: Anas Platyrhynchos
Conservation Status: Amber
Population: 61,000 – 146,000 breeding pairs
Mallards are one of the most common UK ducks, so you can see them just about anywhere – chances are you’ve seen plenty of them already! Male mallards have the classic dark green head, yellow bill, brown breast and grey wing feathers. The females are mostly mottled brown, often with small streaks of blue, with an orange beak.
Wigeon
Scientific Name: Anas Penelope
Conservation Status: Amber
Population: 400 breeding pairs
The wigeon is a distinctive bird, particularly the males with a chestnut head, grey-brown body and pink breast. Female wigeons are similar in appearance to female mallards, with brown-grey bodies and a white belly. Wigeons are not as widespread as other UK ducks and usually breed in Scotland and North England, although we have large numbers of wintering wigeons.
Shoveler
Scientific Name: Anas Clypeata
Conservation Status: Amber
Population: 700 breeding pairs
You can distinguish shovelers by their long, spatulate beaks, which these surface feeders use to catch their food. Male shovelers have dark green heads, white breasts, black wingtips and brown flanks, whereas females are mottled brown. Shovelers mainly breed in wetlands in the South and East of England.
Pintail
Scientific Name: Anas acuta
Conservation Status: Amber
Population: 9 – 33 breeding pairs
Named for its tapering tail, the pintail duck is a long-necked bird that flies with distinctive pointed wings. Male pintails have brown heads and grey bodies with black tails, and females are mottled brown with a lighter coloured head. Pintails prefer estuaries and sheltered coasts.
Gadwall
Scientific Name: Anas Strepera
Conservation Status: Amber
Population: 1,200 summer breeding pairs
Gadwalls are dabbling ducks a little smaller than mallards, notable for their glaring black rear. Although gadwalls look mostly grey, closer inspection shows that their feathers are speckled and barred. During flight, gadwalls have a white wing patch. You can spot gadwalls all across the country, though they are most common in the Midlands and South East of England.
Teal
Scientific Name: Anas Crecca
Conservation Status: Amber
Population: 2,100 breeding pairs
Teals are relatively small dabbling ducks, and males are easily recognisable by their brown-coloured heads, green eye patches and yellow detailing. They also have a yellow tail edged with black, a spotted chest and grey flanks. Both males and mottled brown females show green wing patches during flight. Teals prefer coastal and inland wetlands, particularly during winter.
Garganey
Scientific Name: Anas querquedula
Conservation Status: Amber
Population: 14 – 93 breeding pairs
Garganey is one of the most secretive UK ducks, and they are only a little bigger than teals. Males have a broad white stripe above the eye, blue-black wing feathers and brown bodies with grey flanks. Females are mottled brown and white with a black line across the eye. You can sometimes spot garganeys in shallow wetlands.
Tufted Duck
Scientific Name: Aythya Fuligula
Conservation Status: Green
Population: 16,000 – 19,000 breeding pairs
Tufted ducks are small diving ducks with males distinguished by their completely black bodies save for their white striped wings. Females are deep brown, with lighter coloured flanks. Both have yellow eyes and small crests. Tufted ducks breed all across the UK but are not as common in Wales.
Pochard
Scientific Name: Aythya Ferina
Conservation Status: Red
Population: 681 breeding pairs
Male pochards are unique ducks because, during winter, they have a bright red head, black tail and breast and a white-grey body. However, when ducks grow new feathers (‘eclipse’) the males look similar to the females, primarily brown with a grey body and paler cheeks. Pochards are easier to see in winter on large lakes.
Red-crested Pochard
Scientific Name: Netta Rufina
Conservation Status: Introduced
Population: 10 – 21 breeding pairs
Widespread in Spain, the UK’s red-crested pochard breeding population comes from escaped birds. Red-crested pochards are larger than regular pochards, and males have an orangey-brown head, black breast, red beak and white flanks. Females are almost identical to regular pochards. In flight, you can see their white primaries. Breeding populations of red-crested pochards are in southern and eastern England.
Scaup
Scientific Name: Aythya Marila
Conservation Status: Red
Population: 1 – 2 breeding pairs
Scaups share similarities with tufted ducks but are not as common. They are the rarest breeding UK ducks since not many breed each year. Males have black-green heads and bodies with white flanks and grey backs, while females are brown with distinctive white patches around the bill.
Mandarin
Scientific Name: Aix Galericulata
Conservation Status: Introduced
Population: 2,300 breeding pairs
Mandarin ducks were introduced to our shores from China and managed to breed after escaping captivity. Males have ornate orange plumage with long feathers on their face, curved orange feathers on the back and paler-coloured flanks. Females have mottled sides with a brown back, grey head and white striped across the eye.
Goosander
Scientific Name: Mergus Merganser
Conservation Status: Green
Population: 3,100 – 3,800 breeding pairs
Goosanders are diving ducks greatly reminiscent of mallards, most recognisable for their long, serrated beaks. Males have a bright green head, contrasting red bill, white body, and black back and wing tips. On the other hand, females have a rusty brown head with a red beak, plus a black and grey body and wings.
Red-breasted Merganser
Scientific Name: Mergus serrator
Conservation Status: Amber
Population: 2,800 breeding pairs
With looks remarkably similar to the Goosander, the red-breasted merganser has a similar serrated bill to catch fish. Males are similar to the Goosander save for their shaggy green heads and mottled brown breast. Females are almost identical to Goosanders, except for their similarly shaggy brown heads.
Smew
Scientific Name: Mergus albellus
Conservation Status: Red
Population: 180 wintering birds
Smews are small, delicate ducks with compact bills. The male is white with a black back, mask and wingtips, and the females have a brown back, white neck and red face. In flight, the smews show black and white birds. These birds are winter visitors to the UK, and you can usually spot them in the South.
Long-tailed Duck
Scientific Name: Clangula Hyemalis
Conservation Status: Red
Population: 11,000 wintering birds
The long-tailed duck gets its name from the male’s elongated black tail feathers, which stretch from a white body with brown-black markings across the feathers. They also have small round heads and large foreheads. Females look incredibly similar, only they are brown and do not have long tail feathers.
Eider
Scientific Name: Somateria Mollissima
Conservation Status: Amber
Population: 26,000 breeding pairs
The eider is the heaviest of our UK ducks, yet it is the fastest flying. Males have primarily black and white bodies and heads, with a pale pink breast. Females are mottled brown. Both have long, thin beaks to retrieve shellfish, and you can spot these marine birds on coasts all around the UK.
Common Scoter
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Scientific Name: Melanitta Nigra
Conservation Status: Red
Population: 52 breeding pairs
Common scoters are dark seabirds. Males are completely black with an orange beak while the females are a lighter shade with a pale grey face. Winter populations of common scoters are vulnerable to oil spills, and these small diving ducks are now a Red List species.
Velvet Scoter
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Scientific Name: Melanitta Fusca
Conservation Status: Red
Population: 2,500 wintering birds
Like its common counterpart, the Velvet scoter is a black sea duck. Males are completely black except for a white stripe across the eye, an orange bill and a pointed tail. Females are brown with white cheeks. In flight, white patches are visible on the back of the wing. Velvet scoters are only winter visitors to England but arrive in large flocks on the east coast.
Goldeneye
Scientific Name: Bucephala Clangula
Conservation Status: Red
Population: 200 breeding pairs
The Goldeneye’s name comes from its bright yellow eyes. Males have black and white bodies with green-black heads and a white patch by the beak. Although females are smaller with mottled grey bodies and brown heads, both have startling yellow eyes. You can get specially designed boxes for Goldeneye ducks to nest in, as long as they are hung close to water.
How To Help UK Ducks
Unfortunately, some UK ducks are under threat. This is mostly due to predators and habitat destruction, leaving 25% of duck species considered vulnerable. However, there are ways you can help our ducks!
- Offer Healthy Food – Bread is actually bad for ducks since it gives little nutrition[iii], so leave out more healthy options to take care of your local ducks. Duck food, sweetcorn and oats are all great options.
- Control Predators – Whether you’re stopping cats killing birds in your garden or protecting ducks at your local pond, take steps to control invasive predators to keep ducks safe during nesting and feeding.
- Pick Up Stray Fishing Lines – Tangles of fishing line are deadly to waterfowl. Ducks and ducklings can get caught in the line, leading to injuries, infections or worse. Pick up any stray fishing line you spot to protect passing ducks.
- Join Bird Conservation Groups – Bird conservations groups, such as Ducks Unlimited, are dedicated to preserving habitats and encouraging research to help ducks and other waterfowl in the wild.
Protecting UK Ducks
Ducks greatly benefit our ecosystem since they increase biodiversity and provide pest control. So protecting our UK ducks is vital to the future of these beautiful birds, and with our duck identification guide, we’re sure you’ll have no problems giving local waterfowl a helping hand!
Have you spotted any interesting UK ducks? Let us know your duck identification experiences!
Sources
[i] https://www.bto.org/understanding-birds/birdfacts/bird-families/waterfowl
[ii] https://www.birdspot.co.uk/identifying-birds/types-of-ducks
[iii] https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-wildlife/keeping-our-ducks-healthy/why-is-bread-bad-for-ducks
Gemma Sharp is the resident writer for Garden Bird, a supplier of premium bird food and accessories. She has had a genuine love for our feathered friends from a young age, and has dedicated a lot of her time to learning all there is to know about them. If you’re struggling to pick the right bird feed for your garden, need help identifying a type of wild bird, or can’t decide where to put a nesting box, Gemma is the person to go to! She is passionate about sharing her years of learnt knowledge with the public. In her free time, she can be found feeding birds at home with her three young boys.
Can you help identify this ‘duck’?
It could be a juvenile Mandarin duck
Hi Lizzy
This is a female mandarin. Only males in breeding plumage show the orange, greens and blues shown in the guide. That’s why it’s always important guides show both male and female of each bird species .
Kind regards
Huw
Female mandarin
photo of a “scaup” is a tufted duck. Scaup don’t have a tuft.
Can anyone identify this duck for me please?
Hi Craig
This a breed of domesticated muscovy duck (a South American species). This will probably have been a farm duck once or it’s parents might have been.
Kind regards
Huw
Photo labeled a wigeon shows a chilean wigeon (whilst talking about a different species the European wigeon), the photo labeled pintail actually shows ruddy shelduck, photo labeled as scaup is actually a tufted.
Several species not talked about including ruddy shelduck, Chilean wigeon. Scaup is mentioned but only of the two scaup that can be seen in the uk.
Can anyone identify this duck?
And these – possibly the same as the above(?)
Could someone identify this duck. Is it a Shelduck or something else? It had a thin, red beak
Hi, can anyone identify this pair? Seen in Norfolk a few miles from Great Yarmouth.
Those are Egyptian Geese!
Can anyone identify this duck?
Can you help identify this bird please