Coastal Resource Information System

Diving Ducks

Diving Ducks are extremely vulnerable to oil on water (King and Sanger 1979). Mortality of oiled birds can be very high. For past oil spills on the BC coast, the mortality of these birds has exceeded that of Dabbling Ducks. When present in the study area, Diving Ducks spend the majority of their time on water within several kilometers of shore and along shorelines.

Most Diving Ducks are not vulnerable to oil cleanup because they do not nest in the study area and they can move to other areas if disturbed.

Diving Duck species present in Coastal BC:

• Barrow's Goldeneye
• Bufflehead
• Greater Scaup
• Harlequin Duck
• Hooded Merganser
• Lesser Scaup
• Surf Scoter

Detailed species reports from the British Columbia Species and Ecosystem Explorer are available by following the above links.

These species are also breifly described below in exerpts from: The Birds of British Columbia, Vol. 2, Nonpasserines: Diurnal Birds of Prey through Woodpeckers by R. Wayne Campbell, Neil K. Dawe, Ian McTaggart-Cowan, John M. Cooper, Gary W. Kaiser and Michael C.E. McNall.

Bufflehead

The Bufflehead is distributed along the coast of British Columbia, including Vancouver Island and Queen Charlotte Islands. It occurs from sea level to at least 1,900m elevation. The Bufflehead is a widespread breeder throughout the interior, and an occasional breeder along the coast. (Photo credits: Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, Province of British Columbia)

Greater Scaup

The Greater Scaup is distributed all along the British Columbia coast and the interior from the Okanagan valley and the west Kootenay, and north through the Cariboo-Chilcotin region. It frequents a variety of marine and freshwater habitats throughout its range in British Columbia. On the coast, these include estuaries, bays and harbours, lakes, saltwater lagoons, inlets, sounds and occasionally flooded fields and ponds. The greatest concentrations occur around the Strait of Georgia, particularly southern Vancouver Island and the Fraser River delta.

Lesser Scaup

The Lesser Scaup is widely distributed throughout British Columbia. On the coast, it occurs primarily on southeastern Vancouver Island and the Fraser Lowlands. Birds are found most often on open waters of straits adjacent to points, rocky islets or beaches, bays and harbours, estuaries, lakes, and ponds. (Photo credit: Andre Breault, Canadian Wildlife Service)

Harlequin Duck

The Harlequin is distributed primarily along the BC coast from southern Vancouver Island and the southwest mainland coast, north to the Queen Charlottes and Portland. On the coast the birds usually frequent the turbulent waters adjacent to rocky islets and rocky shores and bays, feeding amongst kelp beds and moving to the islets and exposed rocks and reefs to loaf and preen. (Photo credit: Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, Province of British Columbia)

Surf Scoter

The Surf Scoter is generally distributed in large numbers along coastal British Columbia including the coasts of Vancouver Island and the Queen Charlottes. They frequent a variety of marine and freshwater habitats. On the coast they are most often reported from the relatively open, shallow (< 6m) waters of straits usually adjacent to beaches, spits and points, as well as the more protected waters of bays, harbours and lagoons. The Surf Scoter is one of the few waterbirds that makes use of the deep fjords. (Photo credit: Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, Province of British Columbia)

Barrow’s Goldeneye

Barrow’s Goldeneye are widely distributed along the coast of British Columbia including Vancouver Island and Queen Charlotte Islands. Along the coast, birds are most often reported from bays, harbours and inlets or fjords with rocky shores and extensive mussel beds. They often congregate near sources of fresh water such as creeks, waterfalls and even storm drains, frequently forming mixed flocks with Surf Scoters and other waterbirds. During late winter and early spring they concentrate locally in areas where Pacific Herring have spawned. (Photo credit: Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, Province of British Columbia)

Hooded Merganser

On the coast, the Hooded Merganser is often seen in estuarine situations and in protected bays and inlets. It also frequents coastal lakes, marshes, sloughs, and in autumn, salmon spawning streams. Breeding habitat includes mostly fresh, but occasionally brackish sites, usually with wooded shorelines. The center of winter distribution on the coast appears to be the Strait of Georgia. (Photo credit: Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, Province of British Columbia)