Seaducks, including the Long-tailed Duck, winter in numerous flocks far from the coast.
For that reason data on their behaviour at wintering quarters are sparse and our
knowledge on different aspects of the time budget (courtship, aggression, competition,
flocking ect.) is extremely limited. The Long-tailed Duck is the most numerous seaduck
wintering in the Baltic and has suffered a severe decline in its numbers on the wintering
grounds. Nowadays this species has been listed as Vulnerable on the Red List, yet in near
future its status may become uplisted to Endangered. Complementing our knowledge of
ethology of this species will allow us to better plan future conservation efforts. The
estuarial section of the Vistula near Gdańsk is an exceptional site, as long-tailed ducks
gather here in large numbers and can be observed from a short distance by telescopes. A
preliminary study revealed that these ducks regularly arrived at this riverine site at dawn
and left it before dusk. This unique behaviour, not described so far in seaducks, is
probably related to their sexual behaviour. The planned research project aims to describe
the daily time budget of wintering males and females of the Long-tailed Duck and the
factors that may influence its variability.
