View in other NatureServe Network Field Guides
NatureServe
Montana
Utah
Wyoming
Idaho
Wisconsin
British Columbia
South Carolina
Yukon
California
New York
Harlequin Duck - Histrionicus histrionicus
State Rank Reason (see State Rank above)
Species is a summer breeding resident of swift-flowing streams and rivers across montane regions of western Montana. It has undergone declines over the past decades and the current trend of the population is unknown. It faces threats from increased flooding events during the nesting season and disturbance from recreational boating.
Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus ) Conservation Status Summary
State Rank: S2B
Review Date = 10/21/2024
How we calculate Conservation Status
Rarity:
Very Uncommon Very Common
Threats:
Highly Threatened Unthreatened
Trends:
Rapidly Declining Declining Stable Increasing
Rank:
S1
S2
S3
S4
S5
Critically Imperiled Secure
See the complete
Conservation Status Report
General Description
The Harlequin Duck is unique among North American waterfowl for breeding and foraging in clear, fast-flowing rivers and streams. The breeding plumage of adult males is unmistakable, with slate blue, white, black, and chestnut markings. This species is also unusual in its vocalizations; males and females give a mouselike squeak. The Harlequin Duck overwinters along coastal rocky shorelines (Robertson and Goudie 1999).
For a comprehensive review of the conservation status, habitat use, and ecology of this and other Montana bird species, please see
Marks et al. 2016, Birds of Montana. Phenology
In Montana, adults arrive from late April to early May (Kuchel 1977, Reichel and Genter 1996). Males depart breeding grounds in June while females and young depart from late July to early September (Kuchel 1977, Reichel and Genter 1994). Egg-laying occurs between April 30 and July 4 (Kuchel 1977, Reichel and Genter 1996). Kuchel (1977) estimated hatching dates for broods on McDonald Creek, Glacier National Park: 13 of 15 occurred between June 27 and July 7 with extremes on June 11 and August 2. Young fledge in Montana between July 15 and September 10, with most fledging between July 25 and August 15 (Kuchel 1977, Reichel and Genter 1996). Transients and winter observations recorded from October-March. Pairs observed beginning in April and May (Montana Natural Heritage Program Point Observation Database 2014).
Diagnostic Characteristics
The Harlequin Duck is a small diving duck. Male is larger than female. Breeding plumage of male is unmistakable: the body is slate blue with white bands and collars, bordered with black lines on chest and neck; large white crescent in front of eye with small white circular patch near ear; white vertical stripe on side of neck; black streak bordered by white and amber lines on top of head; iridescent blue secondaries; dark-slate-blue belly and chestnut-brown flanks. Adult female has brown body plumage, a white belly, with brown checks or spots, a round white spot behind ear, faded variable white patches in front of eye, and occasionally white streaks on back of head. Juveniles and immatures are similar to female, but feet are typically yellow, not gray (Robertson and Goudie 1999).
Species Range
Montana Range
Range Descriptions Western Hemisphere Range
Range Comments
This species breeds in and along fast-moving, clear mountain streams, in western Montana. Regions with known breeding locations include the Absaroka/Beartooths, Middle and Lower Clark Fork, the Rocky Mountain Front, South Fork Flathead River, Glacier National Park, and the North Fork Flathead River. Observed in fall and winter in appropriate habitat (Montana Natural Heritage Program Point Observation Database 2014), but most individuals migrate to the west coast (Robertson and Goudie 1999).
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 5462
(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version)
Map Help and Descriptions
Relative Density
Recency
SUMMER (Feb 16 - Dec 14)
Direct Evidence of Breeding
Indirect Evidence of Breeding
No Evidence of Breeding
WINTER (Dec 15 - Feb 15)
Regularly Observed
Not Regularly Observed
(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)
Migration
Harlequin Ducks breeding in Montana arrive primarily from late April to early May (Kuchel 1977, Reichel and Genter 1996). Males depart in June while females and young depart from late July to early September (Kuchel 1977, Reichel and Genter 1994). Twenty-four birds banded in western Montana have been sighted off of Oregon (2), Washington (1) and southern British Columbia (21) (Ashley 1995, Reichel and Genter 1996).
Habitat
In Montana, Harlequin Ducks inhabit fast moving, low gradient, clear mountain streams. In Glacier National Park, birds used primarily old-growth or mature forest (90%); and 2) most birds in streams on the Rocky Mountain Front were observed in pole-sized timber (Diamond and Finnegan 1993). Banks are most often covered with a mosaic of trees and shrubs, but the only significant positive correlation is with overhanging vegetation (Diamond and Finnegan 1993, Ashley 1994).
Ecological Systems Associated with this Species
Details on Creation and Suggested Uses and Limitations
How Associations Were Made
We associated the use and habitat quality (common or occasional) of each of the 82 ecological systems mapped in Montana for
vertebrate animal species that regularly breed, overwinter, or migrate through the state by:
Using personal observations and reviewing literature that summarize the breeding, overwintering, or migratory habitat requirements of each species (Dobkin 1992, Hart et al. 1998, Hutto and Young 1999, Maxell 2000, Foresman 2012, Adams 2003, and Werner et al. 2004);
Evaluating structural characteristics and distribution of each ecological system relative to the species' range and habitat requirements;
Examining the observation records for each species in the state-wide point observation database associated with each ecological system;
Calculating the percentage of observations associated with each ecological system relative to the percent of Montana covered by each ecological system to get a measure of "observations versus availability of habitat".
Species that breed in Montana were only evaluated for breeding habitat use, species that only overwinter in Montana were only evaluated for overwintering habitat use, and species that only migrate through Montana were only evaluated for migratory habitat use.
In general, species were listed as associated with an ecological system if structural characteristics of used habitat documented in the literature were present in the ecological system or large numbers of point observations were associated with the ecological system.
However, species were not listed as associated with an ecological system if there was no support in the literature for use of structural characteristics in an ecological system,
even if point observations were associated with that system.
Common versus occasional association with an ecological system was assigned based on the degree to which the structural characteristics of an ecological system matched the preferred structural habitat characteristics for each species as represented in scientific literature.
The percentage of observations associated with each ecological system relative to the percent of Montana covered by each ecological system was also used to guide assignment of common versus occasional association.
If you have any questions or comments on species associations with ecological systems, please contact the Montana Natural Heritage Program's Senior Zoologist.
Suggested Uses and Limitations
Species associations with ecological systems should be used to generate potential lists of species that may occupy broader landscapes for the purposes of landscape-level planning.
These potential lists of species should not be used in place of documented occurrences of species (this information can be requested at:
mtnhp.org/requests ) or systematic surveys for species and evaluations of habitat at a local site level by trained biologists.
Users of this information should be aware that the land cover data used to generate species associations is based on imagery from the late 1990s and early 2000s and was only intended to be used at broader landscape scales.
Land cover mapping accuracy is particularly problematic when the systems occur as small patches or where the land cover types have been altered over the past decade.
Thus, particular caution should be used when using the associations in assessments of smaller areas (e.g., evaluations of public land survey sections).
Finally, although a species may be associated with a particular ecological system within its known geographic range, portions of that ecological system may occur outside of the species' known geographic range.
Literature Cited
Adams, R.A. 2003. Bats of the Rocky Mountain West; natural history, ecology, and conservation. Boulder, CO: University Press of Colorado. 289 p.
Dobkin, D. S. 1992. Neotropical migrant land birds in the Northern Rockies and Great Plains. USDA Forest Service, Northern Region. Publication No. R1-93-34. Missoula, MT.
Foresman, K.R. 2012. Mammals of Montana. Second edition. Mountain Press Publishing, Missoula, Montana. 429 pp.
Hart, M.M., W.A. Williams, P.C. Thornton, K.P. McLaughlin, C.M. Tobalske, B.A. Maxell, D.P. Hendricks, C.R. Peterson, and R.L. Redmond. 1998. Montana atlas of terrestrial vertebrates. Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, University of Montana, Missoula, MT. 1302 p.
Hutto, R.L. and J.S. Young. 1999. Habitat relationships of landbirds in the Northern Region, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station RMRS-GTR-32. 72 p.
Maxell, B.A. 2000. Management of Montana's amphibians: a review of factors that may present a risk to population viability and accounts on the identification, distribution, taxonomy, habitat use, natural history, and the status and conservation of individual species. Report to U.S. Forest Service Region 1. Missoula, MT: Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana. 161 p.
Werner, J.K., B.A. Maxell, P. Hendricks, and D. Flath. 2004. Amphibians and reptiles of Montana. Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Publishing Company. 262 p.
Food Habits
Diet includes young and adult aquatic insects and fish roe. Birds dive to pick food from the surface of cobbles and gravel. This species will also pick food from the surface of the water (Robertson and Goudie 1999).
Ecology
In Montana, 53% of adult males returned to their breeding streams from the previous year, while females returned at a rate of 57% (Reichel and Genter 1996). Of 58 juveniles marked in 1992, at least 12 females and 2 males were alive in 1994 (Reichel and Genter 1996). All females known to be alive have returned to their natal streams, but no males have returned (Reichel and Genter 1996). Nearly all duckling (through fledging) mortality apparently occurs during the first 3 weeks following hatching (Kuchel 1977).
Reproductive Characteristics
Adults arrive as pairs on the breeding grounds. Female creates a nest scrape; nests are placed on the ground, in tree cavities, on stumps, and on small cliff ledges, generally within five meters of water. Clutch size averages five eggs. Male leaves the breeding grounds during incubation. Female incubates for approximately 28 days. Young are able to feed on their own within a day or two of hatching. Female typically remains with brood until migration (Robertson and Goudie 1999).
Management
The Harlequin Duck is listed as a Sensitive Species by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. In 2014, the first systematic statewide survey of known or likely brood streams for this species in Montana detected a total of 31 broods with 126 chicks. It is uncertain how these reproductive levels compare with previous surveys; however, Harlequin Duck reproduction was not detected in a large number of previously documented brood streams. Spring warming of 2014 occurred later than average and that, accompanied by a high snowpack, may have affected the suitability of some streams for breeding.
Stewardship Responsibility
Based on the Montana Natural Heritage Program's latest
predicted habitat suitability model
Total species' range in Montana 151,241 km2
(40% of Montana)
Area predicted to have 63,976 km2
(17% of Montana)
Stewardship responsibility for the predicted area of suitable habitat can be broken down as follows
Total Suitable
Optimal Suitability
Moderate Suitability
Low Suitability
Federal
56%
1%
7%
48%
State
4%
<1%
<1%
4%
Local
<1%
<1%
<1%
<1%
Conservation Lands/Easements
5%
<1%
<1%
5%
Private/Tribal/Unknown
33%
<1%
2%
31%
See the Habitat Suitability for Biodiversity task in Map Viewer
for a more detailed look at stewardship responsibilities within a variety of local jurisdictions.
Threats or Limiting Factors
Logging of mature forests likely has a detrimental impact to breeding habitat, not only influencing the availability of nest sites, but also impacting stream sedimentation, temperature, flow, and food availability. Additionally, mining activity and hydroelectric dams also pose a threat. This species is also sensitive to human disturbance, particularly if the disturbance is frequent and/or heavy (Robertson and Goudie 1999). Hunting has also been implicated in the decline of some populations.
References
Literature Cited AboveLegend: Additional ReferencesLegend: Do you know of a citation we're missing? In : Ducks, geese, and swans of North America. Harrisburg, PA: Wildlife Management Institute, Stockpole Books. 540 p.In : Birds of the USSR. Norwalk, CT: The Easton Press. 353 p.Histrionicus histrionicus ) in North America. iii + 83 pp.Harlequin Duck Surveys, McDonald Creek Area, Glacier National Park, 2004 . Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, MT. 11 p.Effects of recreation on Rocky Mountain wildlife: a review for Montana . [Montana]: Montana Chapter of the Wildlife Society. Web Search Engines for Articles on "Harlequin Duck"
Additional Sources of Information Related to "Birds"
