Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis

The Long-tailed Duck is the most common wintering waterbirds in Swedish waters with a wintering population at the present of up to 500 000. The majority of the Long-tailed Ducks are found far out at sea on shallow offshore banks in the Baltic. The largest numbers in Swedish waters are found on the Midsjö Banks and Hoburgs Bank. Accordingly the land-based midwinter counts can only sample a small part of the actual numbers of Long-tailed ducks in Swedis waters. At the latest survey, in January 2019, 18423 Long-tailed Ducks were counted.

The indices for the Long-tailed Duck are the only Swedish midwinter indicess that are decreasing over the entire counting period.

To cover the offshore distribution of the Long-tailed Duck special designated offshore surveys are needed. In 1992/93 the first ever large dscale survey of the entire Baltic was undertaken from boat and aerial surveys. Large-scale aerial surveys were done in the Baltic during 2007 - 2011 and 2016 with extensive coverage of Swedish offshore waters. Parts of the Swedish waters were also surveyed during the seventies but at that time it was not possible to cover the most important offshore banks.

Follow the link Offshore Long-tailed Ducks to read more about these surveys.