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Oldsquaw

Status Common in winter, very rare in summer. Formerly very common, its numbers have shown a marked decrease from those of a few decades ago. It appears along the coast in October (average 19 October, earliest 5 October). Estimates of over 200 have been made on Christmas Bird Counts around the province, but large numbers are not generally seen again until late March or early April. The last are generally seen in late April or early May (average 1 May, latest 6 June). Non-breeding stragglers sometimes have been reported in July and August.

Description Length: (male) 53-55 cm; (female) 41-43 cm. Male in winter: Sides and front of head pale grayish brown; a dark brown patch covering cheek and upper neck on each side; crown, neck, belly and sides white; breast and a line extending along back dark brown; tail pointed, central feathers black and much elongated; bill gray, with a pale yellow-orange or pink band across end. Male in summer: Head, neck, breast and upperparts dark brown; belly, flanks and mask-like face patch white; bill as in winter. Female in winter: Dark brown above; sides of head and neck white, with brown crown and upper neck patches; breast gray; belly white; tail pointed but lacking the long feathers of the male. Female in summer: Similar to winter female but sides of head and throat darker; feathers on upperparts margined with light brown.

Range Breeds in the arctic and subarctic regions of North America, Europe and Asia. In North America, winters south to the Great Lakes and along the coasts to central California and South Carolina, and irregularly further south.

Remarks The Oldsquaw, also known as the "cockawee," is a diving duck still common along our shores in winter. It seems to be as much at home along the bleak, precipitous and rockbound coastlines as along sheltered inshore waters protected by headlands, but it will not normally be found frequenting muddy tidal waters such as those of Minas Basin. It is an expert diver and a strong and speedy underwater swimmer. Hunters have learned it is useless to pursue one that has fallen slightly wounded and dives, because when it does surface, as it must do for air, only its bill is exposed momentarily, too briefly for the hunter to see it in the first place, much less react. Its food is marine animals obtained sometimes at considerable depths numbers of these birds have been caught and drowned in gill nets at depths of 50 m or more.

It has a wide range of calls. Its Latin name, Clangula hyemalis, means "noisy winter duck," and is quite appropriate.