THE NATURAL WORLD OF SOUTHERN VANCOUVER ISLAND THROUGH THE LENS OF CAPTAIN YVES -PART 17

The blue, chestnut, and white males, along with the grayish females, breed mainly along whitewater rivers and winter on rocky windswept coasts.

The colloquial name for the Harlequin Duck is “Sea Mouse” from the squeaks they make while interacting.

These ducks eat mostly aquatic invertebrates and small fish. On breeding grounds, they eat aquatic insects such as midges, and fish eggs.

Harlequin Ducks suffer more broken bones than any other species, and X-rays and museum specimens have determined that most adults live with multiple healed fractures