Harlequin duck
Histrionicus histrionicus (Linnaeus, 1758)
The harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) is a species in the family Anatidae, order Anseriformes. Recorded adults weigh 539.2 g to 653 g and live up to 14.6 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the harlequin duck
- Weight
- 539.2 g – 653 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 14.6 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 14.6 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- marinesrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 28.3 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 5.9src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 12 months – 17.9 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Aquaticsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Partialsrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the harlequin duck live?
Not recorded
What is the harlequin duck?
The harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) is a small sea duck. It takes its name from Harlequin (Italian Arlecchino, French Arlequin), a colourfully dressed character in the commedia dell'arte theatre of Italy. The species name comes from the Latin word histrio, meaning "actor". Other names include painted duck, totem pole duck, rock duck, glacier duck, mountain duck, white-eyed diver, squeaker, lords and ladies and blue streak.
From the Wikipedia article “Harlequin duck” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harlequin_duck&oldid=1379926976), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the harlequin duck endangered?
The harlequin duck is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the harlequin duck classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderAnseriformes
- familyAnatidae
- genusHistrionicus
- SpeciesHistrionicus histrionicus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Anas grisola, Anas histrionicus, Anas minuta, Clangula torquata, Fuligula histrionica, Histrionicus histrionicus histrionicus, Histrionicus histrionicus pacificus, Histrionicus minutus, Histrionicus torquatus
Other names and names in other languages (67)
- Atlantic harlequin duckEnglish
- Blue streakEnglish
- Glacier duckEnglish
- HarlequinEnglish
- Lords and ladiesEnglish
- Mountain duckEnglish
- Painted duckEnglish
- Rock duckEnglish
- SqueakerEnglish
- Totem pole duckEnglish
- White-eyed diverEnglish
- بط مهرجArabic
- بط مبرقشArabic
- QayaördəyiAzerbaijani
- КаменаркаBulgarian
- HarlikinBreton
- ànec arlequíCatalan
- kačka strakatáCzech
- hwyaden amryliwWelsh
- Hwyaden seithliwWelsh
- StrømandDanish
- KragenenteGerman
- arlekenanasoEsperanto
- Pato arlequínSpanish
- kärestikuaulEstonian
- Ahate arlekinBasque
- virta-alliFinnish
- BrimontFaroese
- Arlequin plongeurFrench
- Lacha ildaiteIrish
- Laagh EeslynnaghScottish Gaelic
- ברווז איסלנדיHebrew
- ברווז ארלקינוHebrew
- šarena patkaCroatian
- tarka réceHungarian
- AahaaliġñaqInupiaq
- StraumöndIcelandic
- Moretta arlecchinaItalian
- Moretta arlecchinoItalian
- シノリガモJapanese
- toornaviarsukKalaallisut
- ToornarviarsukKalaallisut
- ШақшақайшаKazakh
- 흰줄박이오리Korean
- Islandinė antisLithuanian
- Puošnioji antisLithuanian
- arlekīnpīleLatvian
- harlekinandNorwegian Bokmål
- harlekijneendDutch
- kamieniuszkaPolish
- pato-arlequimPortuguese
- Anda dal culierRomansh
- каменушкаRussian
- УораныкыYakut
- GirjehaŋŋáNorthern Sami
- kamenárka strakatáSlovak
- harlekinkaSlovenian
- pasasta racaSlovenian
- ArlekinkaSerbian
- Арлекинка - ArlekinkaSerbian
- strömandSwedish
- AltıngözTurkish
- alacalı ördekTurkish
- Palyaço ÖrdeğiTurkish
- КаменяркаUkrainian
- 丑鴨Chinese
- 丑鸭Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the harlequin duck
Other species in the same family Anatidae.
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Greylag goose
Anser anser
Northern pintail
Anas acuta
Mute swan
Cygnus olor
Eurasian teal
Anas crecca
Ruddy shelduck
Tadorna ferruginea
CompareHarlequin duck vs MallardHarlequin duck vs Greylag gooseHarlequin duck vs Northern pintailHarlequin duck vs Mute swan
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the harlequin duck?
An adult harlequin duck weighs 539.2 g – 653 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the harlequin duck endangered?
The harlequin duck is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the harlequin duck live?
The harlequin duck has a recorded lifespan of 14.6 years.
What kind of animal is the harlequin duck?
The harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) belongs to the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
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Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/harlequin-duck
“Harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/harlequin-duck.
@misc{harlequin_duck_2026,
title = {Harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/harlequin-duck},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}