Bird of the Week – Harlequin Duck

For the WC, only the Wood Duck is more spectacularly colorful than the a Harlequin Duck drake in breeding plumage. And, unlike Harlies, Woodies don’t occur in Alaska. Not only are Harlequin drakes handsome; they seem to pose in striking nice positions. So far as WC knows, Harlequin drakes only have one critic: Harlequin hens. Readers are invited to offer their own caption to the photo. Harlequin Ducks migrate inland to breed and then return to their true home, near-shore salt waters in coastal Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. For more bird photos, please visit Frozen Feather Images.