Have you seen this duck? California researchers hunt for sightings of rare harlequin duck
University researchers are on the hunt for sightings of a duck rarely seen in the Sierra Nevada.
The harlequin duck is a distinctive waterfowl more known to Alaskans and residents of the Pacific Northwest. The duck's historic range often brought wintering birds down as far as the Northern California high country.
Historically, harlequin duck visitors to California are known to nest near the remote river rapids of the Sierra Nevada.
UC Davis researchers are now trying to find out more about the California population of the harlequin duck – and they're enlisting the public's help to do so.
"We don't actually know if there are breeding harlequin ducks remaining in California," said Rob Blenk, a UC Davis PHD candidate. "It's been kind of a mystery for a number of reasons."
The research effort comes amid a dearth of knowledge about the harlequin duck in California. A 2008 paper cited by the Department of Fish and Wildlife details how the bird's historic range was from Plumas County to as far south as Mariposa County.
Actual reported sightings of the harlequin duck in the Sierra Nevada have been few and far between, however, with the paper showing a population size of just 10 as of the 2008 publishing.
"We wouldn't expect to see them in city ponds in sacramento or anything like that but usually clear fast running alpine streams and rivers above 2000 feet," Blenk said.
While slightly more common along the Northern to Central California coast, recent sightings of the harlequin duck in those areas have nonetheless caused a fervor among bird enthusiasts.
"This is a really cool and unique species. So there's only four species of waterfowl that live in these high alpine streams," said Kevin Ringelman, an assistant professor in the department of wildlife, fish and conservation biology at UC Davis. "So this is the only one in North America. It's a really fascinating species."
Researchers have assembled a webpage where Sierra Nevada residents can report sightings.
