Histrionicus histrionicus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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.
In 1747 the English naturalist George Edwards included an illustration and a description of the harlequin duck in the second volume of his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. He used the English name "The Dusky and Spotted Duck". Edwards based his hand-coloured etching on a preserved specimen that had been brought to London from Newfoundland in eastern Canada. When in 1758 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the tenth edition, he placed the harlequin duck with the ducks, geese and swans in the genus Anas.
Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Anas histrionica and cited Edwards' work. The harlequin duck is now the only extant species placed in the genus Histrionicus that was introduced... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Katmai National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Denali National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Vatnajokull National Park | 🇮🇸 Iceland | |
| 7 | Kenai Fjords National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 11 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 14 | Kluane National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 15 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 16 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Dresden Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 4 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Centro Cicogne e Anatidi | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 7 | Tierpark Hagenbeck | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | L'Oceanogràfic | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | Alaska SeaLife Center | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Montreal Biodome | 🇨🇦 Canada |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Harlequin Duck sighting in Acadia National Park on a given day, based on 531 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 103rd most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Harlequin Duck in Acadia National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March to October, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Harlequin Duck sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
12th of 17
Of the 17 parks where we can rate Harlequin Duck sightings, Acadia National Park ranks 12th at under 5%. The best odds are in Great Bear Rainforest (Canada, about 30%), Katmai National Park (United States, about 20%) and Yellowstone National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Harlequin Duck that you can see in Acadia National Park (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Common Eider (about 40%), Mallard (about 30%) and Canada Goose (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Harlequin Duck is recorded against all the birds logged in Acadia National Park (531 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
