#histrionicus

Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus), male, family Anatidae, order Anseriformes, Toronto, ONT, Canada

By Peter Massas, CC BY-SA 2.0

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Name: Histrionicus histrionicus

Status: Extant

First Described: 1828

Described By: Lesson

Classification: Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Galloanserae, Anseriformes, Anseres, Anatoidea, Anatidae, Anatinae, Mergini 

Today we’re going a little out of order because of time crunches on my end - so here’s the Harlequin Duck, Histrionicus histrionicus! The Harlequin Duck is a Sea Duck, living primarily in locations near streams with high levels of surf and turbulance, usually along and near northern coasts. They are most found in Russia and the Pacific Northwest, though there are endangered populations (due to oil spills) in Eastern North America, Greenland, and Iceland. Overall, the bird is not considered threatened with extinction. It is red on its wings, and it has black white and grey stripes over its body in the males; while the females are mostly brownish. They usually weigh up to 600 grams, and feed by swimming under water and diving, eating molluscs and arthropods. They have densely packed feathers for insulation, and interestingly enough there all fossils of this species from the Miocene, making it a very old bird indeed (about 11 million years old). 

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Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus), males, female (mid-background), family Anatidae, order Anseriformes, Stearman Beach, West Vancouver, BC, Canada

Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus), male, family Anatidae, order Anseriformes, Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park, WY, USA

Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus), male, family Anatidae, order Anseriformes, off the coast of NJ, USA