Harlequin Duck
Histrionicus histrionicus
In winter, the Harlequin Duck is a bird of coastal oceans, where their diet includes mollusks, crustaceans, a few small fish, fish eggs and marine worms. When breeding, it favors fast-moving turbulent waters and feeds mostly on aquatic insects.
Though not well understood, North America’s east coast population of these birds seems to have declined over the past hundred years, while the west coast population seems more stable. Outside of North America, there are populations in northeastern Asia, the west coast of Greenland, and in Iceland.
Modern science regards the Harlequin Duck as monotypic (i.e. there are no subspecies).
My first meeting with this species happened while traveling north on the legendary Dempster Highway in 2005. For those folks who don’t know, the Dempster Highway takes off from the Klondike Highway (Canada) a few miles south of Dawson City in the Yukon Territory at 64° North latitude, and after a few miles of paved road, continues north over a gravel road for 458 miles to Inuvik (Northwest Territory) at 68.3° North latitude, crossing the Arctic Circle on its way. More recently, I’ve enjoyed their company on the Pacific Coast, and in the Muncho district of Northern British Columbia.
18 Photos
Harlequin Duck(Histrionicus histrionicus) |
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Description: Cut-out image from a meeting along the Dempster Highway, Ogilvie River Valley, Yukon, Canada 2005-06-20. |
Date Taken: 2005:06:20 17:43 |
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Location:
Ogilvie River Valley |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/8.5, 1/250 |
File Name: Cut_JCD5864HarlequinDuck-1 |
| © 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Harlequin Duck(Histrionicus histrionicus) |
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Description: Dempster Highway, Ogilvie River Valley, Yukon, Canada. |
Date Taken: 2005:06:20 17:43 |
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Location:
Ogilvie River Valley |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/8.5, 1/250 |
File Name: JCD5864HarlequinDuck |
| © 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Harlequin Duck(Histrionicus histrionicus) |
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Description: Dempster Highway, Ogilvie River Valley, Yukon, Canada. |
Date Taken: 2005:06:20 17:43 |
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Location:
Ogilvie River Valley |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/10.0, 1/250 |
File Name: JCD5878HarlequinDuck |
| © 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Harlequin Duck(Histrionicus histrionicus) |
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Description: Dempster Highway, Ogilvie River Valley, Yukon, Canada. |
Date Taken: 2005:06:20 17:43 |
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Location:
Ogilvie River Valley |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/10.0, 1/250 |
File Name: JCD5871HarlequinDuck |
| © 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Harlequin Duck(Histrionicus histrionicus) |
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Description: Dempster Highway, Ogilvie River Valley, Yukon, Canada. |
Date Taken: 2005:06:20 17:43 |
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Location:
Ogilvie River Valley |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/10.0, 1/250 |
File Name: JCD5869HarlequinDuck |
| © 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Harlequin Duck(Histrionicus histrionicus) |
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Description: Dempster Highway, Ogilvie River Valley, Yukon, Canada. |
Date Taken: 2005:06:20 17:43 |
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Location:
Ogilvie River Valley |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/9.5, 1/250 |
File Name: JCD5866HarlequinDuck |
| © 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Harlequin Duck(Histrionicus histrionicus) |
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Description: Dempster Highway, Ogilvie River Valley, Yukon, Canada. |
Date Taken: 2005:06:20 17:43 |
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Location:
Ogilvie River Valley |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/7.6, 1/250 |
File Name: JCD5862HarlequinDuck |
| © 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Harlequin Duck(Histrionicus histrionicus) |
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Description: Resurrection Bay, Seward, Alaska 2005-07-09. |
Date Taken: 2005:07:09 16:27 |
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Location:
Lowell Point |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 370 mm, f/5.6, 1/750 |
File Name: JCD7898HarlequinDuckFamily |
| © 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Harlequin Duck(Histrionicus histrionicus) |
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Description: In the harbor at Crescent City in northern California. |
Date Taken: 2015:06:14 14:13 |
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Location:
Crescent Harbor |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/5000 |
File Name: D3X0444-HarlequinDuck |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Harlequin Duck(Histrionicus histrionicus) |
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Description: Harlequin Ducks joined in the feeding frenzy with the scoters, loons, and grebes in the nearby harbor waters of Yaquina Bay, but appeared to prefer the pickings nearer the rock-lined jetty than the channel further away, where the rest of the mob fed. |
Date Taken: 2022:04:03 10:52 |
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Location:
South Yaquina Bay Jetty |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: HarlequinDuck_8500577-SouthYaquinaBayJetty |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Harlequin Duck(Histrionicus histrionicus) |
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Description: Harlequin Ducks joined in the feeding frenzy with the scoters, loons, and grebes in the nearby harbor waters of Yaquina Bay, but appeared to prefer the pickings nearer the rock-lined jetty than the channel further away, where the rest of the mob fed. |
Date Taken: 2022:04:03 10:53 |
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Location:
South Yaquina Bay Jetty |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: HarlequinDuck_8500593-SouthYaquinaBayJetty |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Harlequin Duck(Histrionicus histrionicus) |
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Description: While on my long drive from Fort Nelson to Watson Lake, there were but a few stops I made to photograph wildlife. Things got interesting after I left the Muncho Lake Region. The Trout River Valley treated me to several fun encounters, such as this pair of Harlequin Ducks I caught out of the corner of my eye. |
Date Taken: 2022:06:06 12:57 |
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Location:
Trout River |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: HarlequinDuck_8507819-TroutRiver.BC_ |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Harlequin Duck(Histrionicus histrionicus) |
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Description: While on my long drive from Fort Nelson to Watson Lake, there were but a few stops I made to photograph wildlife. Things got interesting after I left the Muncho Lake Region. The Trout River Valley treated me to several fun encounters, such as this pair of Harlequin Ducks I caught out of the corner of my eye. |
Date Taken: 2022:06:06 12:57 |
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Location:
Trout River |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: HarlequinDuck_8507816-TroutRiver.BC_ |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Harlequin Duck(Histrionicus histrionicus) |
|
Description: While on my long drive from Fort Nelson to Watson Lake, there were but a few stops I made to photograph wildlife. Things got interesting after I left the Muncho Lake Region. The Trout River Valley treated me to several fun encounters, such as this pair of Harlequin Ducks I caught out of the corner of my eye. |
Date Taken: 2022:06:06 12:56 |
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Location:
Trout River |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: HarlequinDuck_8507808-TroutRiver.BC_ |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Harlequin Duck(Histrionicus histrionicus) |
|
Description: Harlequin Ducks joined in the feeding frenzy with the scoters, loons, and grebes in the nearby harbor waters of Yaquina Bay, but appeared to prefer the pickings nearer the rock-lined jetty than the channel further away, where the rest of the mob fed. |
Date Taken: 2022:04:03 10:54 |
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Location:
South Yaquina Bay Jetty |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: HarlequinDuck_8500632-SouthYaquinaBayJetty |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Harlequin Duck(Histrionicus histrionicus) |
|
Description: Harlequin Ducks joined in the feeding frenzy with the scoters, loons, and grebes in the nearby harbor waters of Yaquina Bay, but appeared to prefer the pickings nearer the rock-lined jetty than the channel further away, where the rest of the mob fed. |
Date Taken: 2022:04:03 10:54 |
|
Location:
South Yaquina Bay Jetty |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: HarlequinDuck_8500628-SouthYaquinaBayJetty |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Harlequin Duck(Histrionicus histrionicus) |
|
Description: Harlequin Ducks joined in the feeding frenzy with the scoters, loons, and grebes in the nearby harbor waters of Yaquina Bay, but appeared to prefer the pickings nearer the rock-lined jetty than the channel further away, where the rest of the mob fed. |
Date Taken: 2022:04:03 10:54 |
|
Location:
South Yaquina Bay Jetty |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: HarlequinDuck_8500624-SouthYaquinaBayJetty |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Harlequin Duck(Histrionicus histrionicus) |
|
Description: Harlequin Ducks joined in the feeding frenzy with the scoters, loons, and grebes in the nearby harbor waters of Yaquina Bay, but appeared to prefer the pickings nearer the rock-lined jetty than the channel further away, where the rest of the mob fed. |
Date Taken: 2022:04:03 10:53 |
|
Location:
South Yaquina Bay Jetty |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: HarlequinDuck_8500599-SouthYaquinaBayJetty |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
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