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Range
 Breeds
in North America from western Alaska and northern Yukon south to
California and Wyoming and from southern Baffin Island south at
least to central Quebec and eastern Labrador. Also breeds in Greenland,
Iceland, and eastern Asia. Winters in North America on the Pacific
coast from Alaska to central California; on the Atlantic coast from
southern Labrador to New York; rarely on the Great Lakes. Also winters
in eastern Eurasia.
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Status
Fairly common to locally very common
migrant and summer visitant to coastal British Columbia; widespread
but uncommon migrant and summer visitant to the interior excluding
the Boreal Forest and Peace Lowlands. Fairly common to locally common
in winter along the coast; rare winter visitant to the west Kootenay,
very rare elsewhere in the interior. Widespread breeder. |
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Status
Change
No change. |
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Nonbreeding
The Harlequin Duck is distributed primarily
along coastal British Columbia from southern Vancouver Island and
the southwest mainland coast north to the Queen Charlotte Islands
and Portland Inlet on the north mainland coast. It is widely but
sparsely distributed, throughout the interior except in the Liard
Basin, the Cassiar and Muskwa ranges, and the Fort Nelson Lowlands
where it is a very rare visitor.
The Harlequin Duck frequents both marine
and freshwater habitats throughout the province. On the coast, birds
usually frequent the often turbulent waters adjacent to rocky islets
and rocky shores and bays, feeding amongst kelp beds and moving
to the islets and exposed rocks or reefs to loaf and preen.
Coastal habitats infrequently used include
saltwater lagoons, inlets, and harbours. In the interior, birds
are most often found on rivers, lakes, and creeks, the rivers and
creeks often with fast, turbulent waters.
In early spring, the Harlequin Duck can
be locally abundant in areas where Pacific herring spawn. The onset
of spring migration is difficult to determine from coastal data
due to the large numbers of nonbreeders that summer there; it is
perhaps best noted by the birds' arrival on fresh water, which can
be as early as the first week of April. As in autumn, it is primarily
a lateral movement. Most pairs have arrived on the interior nesting
areas by mid-May.
On the coast, males begin to outnumber
the females by midMay; that bias towards males is most evident from
early June to early July, and may be earlier on the outer coast,
as breeding males leave incubating females and move to marine waters
to moult. The moult begins in late May, continuing through August
and occasionally into late September as postbreeding females complete
their moult. Moulting harlequins are found wherever rocky islets
and shores occur along the British Columbia coast. Major concentrations
of moulting birds occur at the northern end of the Strait of Georgia
(e.g. Mitlenatch Island, Shelter Point). Autumn migration is difficult
to identify because of the early post-breeding return of males to
the sea and the straggling departure of females and young from the
nesting grounds. Most birds have left the breeding areas by August.
Male:apparent-female ratios sampled from
coastal flocks were 1.5:1 (n=55; 544 birds) in winter and 1.4:1
(n=30; 297 birds) in March and April. Sex ratios became more biased
towards the males in May 4.3:1 (n=20; 495 birds), and summer ratios
through to the end of July heavily favoured males by 18.2:1 (n=27;
1,633 birds).
Harlequin Ducks winter on the sea along
the coast of British Columbia including Vancouver Island and the
Queen Charlotte Islands. In the interior, small numbers have recently
begun to winter regularly in the
west Kootenay (Ellison, M. and Merilees 1980) and the southern Okanagan
valley (Cannings, R.A. et al. 1987); very rarely elsewhere. Major
known wintering areas include the Victoria area, eastern Vancouver
Island mainly from Qualicum Beach north to Campbell River, and the
northern Queen Charlotte Islands.
Nonbreeding populations are unknown,
but it is estimated that in British Columbia numbers may range into
the high 10,000s which are the highest in Canada. For example, results
of a survey of a 50 km stretch of coastline on eastern Vancouver
Island showed the following seasonal results (birds per km): spring
7.7, summer 1.5, autumn 5.8, and winter 5.7. |
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Breeding
On the coast, the known breeding distribution
of the Harlequin Duck includes only Vancouver Island, the Fraser
Lowlands, the Sumallo River, and the Queen Charlotte Islands. It
is a scattered breeder throughout the interior, excluding the Peace
Lowlands. We have no breeding records from the mainland coast north
of the Coquitlam River and, with the exception of 3 brood records
from Mount Robson Park, there are only 2 breeding records from the
central interior of the province. An estimated 7,000 to 8,000 Harlequin
Ducks breed in the province (Bellrose 1976).
Breeding areas include both marine and
freshwater habitats from near sea level to 2,100 m elevation. Sites
include coastal and interior rivers, creeks, and glacial streams
(often turbulent), where most broods were noted, coastal and interior
lakes and ponds, and coastal islands and rocky shores. Of 17 breeding
records, 12 were from elevations in excess of
1,000 m. |
| Nests: 
Only 4 nests have been found in British
Columbia. Because of their rarity, full details are provided for
each record.
(1) Shatford (Sheep) Creek 24 May 1936-7
eggs. Nest was on the ground under a clump of bushes at the foot
of a small Douglas-fir tree, less than 1 m from the creek bank (Parham
1937; Tait 1949; Cannings, R.A. et al. 1987, p.108; RBCM Photo 991).
(2) Shingle Creek 1 Jun 1947-6 eggs,
incubation advanced (RBCM Photo 288). Nest was on the ground under
a root overhang, in a depression in a newly cut creek bank. The
female had completely covered the eggs with down (Tait 1949).
(3) Moricetown 16 June 1985-6 eggs, one
of which was damaged and about 1 m from nest. Nest was on a cliff
ledge directly over the Bulkley River (RBCM Photo1201). It was composed
of mosses, leaves, feathers, and lined with down. The female was
incubating.
(4) Masset Inlet 24 Jun 1986-4 eggs,
2 young, 1 egg pipping. Nest was on a small, 2-m-high rock off the
west side of Kwaikans Island (RBCM Photo 1123). The nest was composed
of grass and was surrounded by dune wildrye. Three pairs of Harlequin
Ducks were flushed from the island before the nest was found.
Eggs:
Dates for 4 clutches ranged from 24 May
to 24 June. ~ Calculated dates indicate that eggs could be found
as early as 17 May. Clutch size ranged from 6 to 7 eggs (6E-2, 7E-2).
Incubation period is 28 or 29 days (Bengtson 1966).
Young:
Dates for 41 broods ranged from 16 June
to 13 September with 53% recorded between 10 July and 12 August.
Brood size ranged from 1 to 10 young with 61% having 4 or 5 young
(1Y-3, 2Y-3, 3Y-5, 4Y-11, 5Y-14, 6Y-2, 7Y-1, 8Y-1, 10Y-1). The brood
with 10 young was apparently the product of 1 female. Fledging period
is estimated at 35 to 42 days (Palmer, R.S.1976b). |
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Remarks
Known in the Old World as the Harlequin. |
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This
information was scanned from The Birds of British Columbia (Campbell et
al.), Volume I, pages 332-334. Volumes I, II and III of The Birds of British
Columbia, can be ordered electronically at: 
Nests