The descriptive text, below the map, is from the Cornish Red Data Book (2009). The map on this web page depicts the organisms distribution and shows the records made pre-2000 and those made since.
Range & Status
Holarctic; in Britain and Ireland 1000 pairs breed; 15,000 in winter.
Regional Distribution
Cornwall: a pair bred at Walmsley Sanctuary in 2007. A winter visitor and passage
migrant in small numbers (70-100 in total); numbers gradually increasing, with Loe Pool and Marazion Marsh most favoured, both taking more than 20. Isles of Scilly: up to 20 in most winters, chiefly on Tresco.
Habitat & Ecology
Favours shallow freshwater lakes, but becoming more regular on tidal estuaries in recent years, associating with Wigeon Anas penelope .
Threats
None known.
Conservation
Protected under Schedule 2, Part 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and Annexe 11/1 of the European Union Conservation of Wild Birds Directive.
I.J. Bennallick, S. Board, C.N. French, P.A. Gainey, C. Neil, R. Parslow, A. Spalding and P.E. Tompsett. eds. 2009. Red Data Book for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. 2nd Edition.Croceago Press.
The Cornish Red Data Book Project was led by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Federation for Biological Recorders (CISFBR). The full text and species accounts (minus the maps) are available on the CISFBR website.