Harlequin duck

These birds build their nests on the ground or in a tree stump, well hidden in vegetation, less than five metres from a stream or river. The female lays four to seven eggs, which are incubated for 27 to 30 days. The female builds the nest, incubates the eggs and raises the young on her own. Harlequin ducks appear to nest in the same spot from one year to the next. Very few nests have ever been found in Quebec. The male leaves the female as soon as incubation begins. He then moults at sea and joins other non-breeding individuals. In late summer, the females and their young join the males in their wintering grounds.