Sea Ducks In Idaho

Waterfowl

Harlequin ducks are sea fowl, and since there isn’t much of a sea in Idaho one might think the whitewater ducks would avoid the Inland Empire.

However, Harlequins are seasonal visitors to Idaho, spending spring and summer breeding, nesting and raising their young in and along swift-moving inland mountain streams.

Idaho Fish and Game Department researcher Francis Cassirer has documented 70 pairs breeding on 28 Idaho rivers, mostly between the Selway River and the Canadian border.

Banding studies indicated that harlequins remain loyal to wintering and nesting ranges, traveling with their mates to breeding grounds.

Once the hen begins incubating in early summer, most drakes return to the coast to molt. Ducklings, which can swim within days of hatching, cannot fly until they’re eight weeks old. Nevertheless, some hens leave their brood early for the coast, forcing the hatchlings to fend for themselves.

The male of the species are mostly blue-gray colored with burnished red sides. These colors are outlined in black around the neck, bill and head. The drakes also have white dots behind their eyes and comma-like markings on their sides.