Harlequin Duck

The Harlequin Duck is a small sea duck with unusually elaborate male plumage. Breeding drakes are slate-blue, chestnut and black, marked by bold white crescents, spots and stripes; females are plain brown with three pale facial patches. Both sexes have compact bodies and strong feet, adaptations that help them swim and dive in rough water along surf-battered shores and swift mountain streams (Wikipedia, general species account).

Harlequin Ducks breed beside cold, fast-flowing rivers, where females nest on the ground among rocks or vegetation. They dive in turbulent water for insect larvae, crustaceans and molluscs. After breeding, birds move to rocky marine coasts and gather near reefs and headlands. In Japan they are most characteristic of northern winter shorelines, often feeding close to breaking waves (Wikipedia, general species account).