The tufted duck is a medium-sized diving duck with a rounded head, steep forehead, and distinctive, drooping crest on the back of its head. In breeding plumage, the male has a black back and breast, white flanks and underparts. The flight feathers are black with white tips. The head is black with a purple gloss on the cheeks, the eyes are golden-yellow, and the slim bill is grey with a black tip. Some males have white patches above the bill, similar to the scaup.

The female is chocolate brown with paler flanks, and white underparts, and the crest is shorter. She also may have white patches around the base of the bill. The male in eclipse plumage looks like the female.

Tufted ducks feed mainly by diving. The dive lasts from between 15 and 20 seconds and they reach depths of about 2.5 m. They also skim flies and duckweed floating on the surface of water.

It is a fairly common and widespread breeder found across the UK except the very north of Scotland. It is joined by winter visitors from northern Europe and Iceland. It can be found on freshwater lakes, ponds, reservoirs, rivers, and gravel pits. It is occasionally spotted swimming in the sea.

The shoveler is a large dabbling duck with a long body and wings, big head and long, heavy bill. It swims low in the water with its head pointing forward. The male in breeding plumage has a black back, reddish-brown flanks, white breast, and black and white tail and rump. The forewing is pale blue and green flash on the hindwing separated by a white stripe. The head is blackish-green, with yellow eyes and a black bill, and the legs and feet are orange.

The female is pale brown with streaks overall and a darker belly, dark eyes, and a brown to orange bill. She has a blue wing patch. In eclipse plumage, the male is similar to the female but with redder plumage, and a grey head with a white crescent on the face.

Shovelers feed by swimming slowly across water, skimming the surface from side to side with its bill. It sometimes submerges its head. They often feed in groups, swimming in circles to churn up the water and bring food to the surface.

It is a scarce breeder, but a fairly common winter visitor found mainly in the south and east of England. Look out for them on lakes, reservoirs, salt marches, and coastal lagoons.

The pochard is a medium-sized, stocky diving duck with a round head and body, short neck, sloping forehead, tapered bill, and legs set well back on its body. The male is pale grey with a dark brown breast and rump, and silver-grey flight feathers on the wings. The head is a rich reddish-brown with red eyes, and a dark bill with a pale blue-grey band.

The female is grey with brown mottles with a darker brown breast, and rump. The head his pale, dull brown with a white eyering and white around the bill and throat. The bill is grey with a pale central band. Males in eclipse plumage is like the female but has a redder head and red eyes.

Pochards are gregarious and often form flocks with tufted ducks. They feed by diving to depths of 1 – 2.5 m but also by upending and dabbling. They tend to be most active at dusk and dawn and during the night, and spend the day sleeping on water.

It is a scarce breeder found in lakes with reed beds. In winter the population increases as residents are joined by visitors from eastern and western Europe, when they can be spotted in gravel pits, slow-flowing rivers, ponds, lakes, and reservoirs.

The goldeneye is a compact diving duck with a rounded head, short neck, and relatively long tail. The male in breeding plumage has a black back and rump, and white underparts. The head is black with a green gloss and a white patch on the cheek. The eyes are yellow, the bill is black, and the legs and feet are orange.

The female is grey with white tips on the feathers, and a white innerwing with two dark bars. The head is chocolate brown with a white neck collar, the bill is grey with an orange band, the eyes are yellow or white, and the legs and feet are orange. In eclipse plumage, the male is similar to the female, but the head is darker. The white body and face patch develops over winter.

Goldeneyes feed mainly by diving up to depths of 4 m. They will occasionally dabble and upend in shallow water although this is usually only practised by juveniles.

They are a rare breeder but are fairly common and widespread in the winter when migrants arrive from Russia, Scandinavia, and northeast Europe. They can be found along the coast, on lakes, pools, and reservoirs, and nest in holes in trees and even nest boxes.

The smew is a compact diving duck with a long body, small head, steep forehead, and delicate bill. The male in breeding plumage is mainly white with a black back, grey rump and flanks, and two fine black lines on the sides of its breast. It has a black eyepatch and a black patch on the back of its head, and a white crest that may be raised upright or pushed forward.

The female is grey with darker flanks, and white on the back and the front of the wings. The head is rufous except for the throat and lower cheeks which are white, and a dark patch around the eye. In eclipse plumage, the male is like the female but with darker upperparts and a white patch on the wing. He develops his white body over winter.

The smew is a sawbill, a group of ducks named for their serrated bills that have evolved to catch fish. It feeds by diving from the surface and swimming underwater as it chases after its prey.

It is a rare duck in the UK found mainly in the south over winter, and can be rather elusive so can be difficult to spot, but look out for them amongst reeds and other vegetation by lakes, reservoirs, and flooded gravel pits.

The mandarin is an unmistakable, brightly coloured, perching duck that was introduced from the Far East. In breeding plumage, the male has an olive-brown back and tail, white underparts, and a maroon breast bordered with black and white stripes. The flanks are gold and black, and the upper tail is blue-green, and the feathers over the tail form a sail shape. On the head there is a broad white stripe over the eye, the crown is green and purple, and it has long chestnut-coloured feathers on its cheek. The bill is red with a paler tip.

The female is pale grey with a darker grey back, and a grey head and neck. There is white ring around the eye and a white line behind it. The bill is grey, and she lacks the sails of the male. The male in eclipse plumage is similar to the female but he has an orange bill.

Mandarin ducks feed by dabbling, grazing on land, and wading in shallow water. They are often seen near trees and can sometimes be seen perching in them, particularly during breeding season.

They are found mainly in the south of England although local populations can be found across the country. Look out for them in wooded lakes and ponds in parks.

The goosander is a heavily-build seaduck with a long body, bulbous forehead, and long, hooked bill. In breeding plumage, the male is white or pale pink with a black back. The inner wing is white, while the outer wing is black The head is dark green with a dropping crest, and a deep red bill.

The female is grey with a reddish-brown head and neck divided from the body by a white band. She has a white patch on the chin, a drooping crest, and a red bill. The male in eclipse plumage resembles the female but has a larger white wing patch.

Goosanders are diving ducks and like other sawbills have serrations on the bill which enables them to grip fish easily. They can often be seen standing on the edge of water or resting on a rock in the middle of a river partially opening their wings to the sun.

It is a scarce breeder usually found near rivers. It becomes much more widespread in winter when visitors arrive from Scandinavia and north east Europe when it can be spotted on large lakes, reservoirs, and rivers.

The scaup is a medium-sized diving duck that is similar to the tufted duck and pochard. It is bulky with a rounded head and broad bill. The male in breeding plumage has a grey back, and white underparts with dark breast and rump. There is a white stripe on the upper wing which distinguishes it from the pochard. The head is black with a green sheen, the eyes are yellow and the bill is grey with a black tip.

The female pale brown with a grey back and darker head. There is a white patch around the base of the bill and a pale ear patch. The male in eclipse plumage is similar to its breeding plumage except the pale parts are buffy grey.

Scaups feed by diving and swimming underwater. In shallow water they will also dabble and upend. They feed both during the day and at night depending on the tides.

They are a scarce winter visitor, mainly found on the north, north west, and north east coasts usually offshore or in estuaries, but occasionally inland.

The long-tailed duck is a small sea duck. It has a squat, thickset body with a long tail, large round head, and short, triangular-shaped bill. The male in summer plumage has a streaked black and reddish buff back, with a dark breast and head, paler face, and white eyering. In winter plumage, he is white with dark brown bands on the back, grey flanks, and a broad breast band. There is a two-town brown patch on the side of the head, and the bill is dark with a pink band.

The female in summer plumage is dark brown with a dark cap and cheek, a fine white line from the back of the eye, and white patch on the neck. In winter plumage, she is dark brown above and pale below, with a white head, dark cap, and dark smudge on the cheek. The bill is grey with no pink band.

Long-tailed ducks feed by diving and swimming underwater, using its wings to dive to depths of 55 m, deeper than any other species of duck. It may be submerged for up to 60 seconds. They are gregarious and can often be seen in long, straggling flocks flying low over the sea.

They are a scarce winter visitor arriving from northern Europe. Look out for them off the north and east coasts as well as in sandy bays. They may occasionally be found inland.

The velvet scoter is a large, bulky sea duck with a thick neck, angular-shaped head, long bill, and pointed tail. The male is black overall with prominent white wing patches that are obvious in flight. On the head, there is a small white patch under the eye, the bill is yellow with black on the top, and the legs and feet are red.

The female has chocolate brown plumage with a white spot on the cheek and a pale patch near the bill, which is black. The legs are dull red.

Velvet scoters mainly feed by diving using its wings and feet to propel itself underwater. It can often be found in flocks with common scoters.

It is a scarce winter visitor from Scandinavia and becoming rarer. Look out for them offshore and in bays around the north east coast. They are occasionally found inland.