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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing smews. A smew is a small duck that breeds in northern Eurasia. They spend their winters in southern regions, sometimes traveling as far as Africa and the United States as vagrants. The worse the weather is, the more likely they are to travel further south and outside of their typical range. Smews are most frequently found on freshwater lakes, ponds, rivers, and more, but they're also known to utilize coasts while migrating. 

These are shy birds and will readily take flight when disturbed. They live in small, loose groups, pairs, or on their own which has led to misidentification. Males and females display distinct sexual dimorphism during the breeding season with the male sporting black and white plumage compared to the female's grey body with a russet head. During winter, the male goes through an eclipse phase in which he appears more similar to the female in color. 

These ducks nest in tree holes which are often the abandoned holes made by black woodpeckers. The holes are typically positioned just over 30 feet (9.1m) above the ground, which means the ducklings will tumble down all that way after hatching! The female lays five to eleven eggs over the course of a few days and incubates them for just under a month after the last egg is laid. The chicks all hatch together and are precocial from birth, just like the similar tree-nesting wood duck! The young smews are able to fly by ten weeks of age. These birds are agile fliers and can easily navigate through trees. It takes two years for the smew to reach reproductive maturity.

Predators to these ducks include mammals like minks and birds of prey. They're also threatened by habitat loss. While their numbers are believed to be in decline due to fewer smew sightings over the years, it's also believed that their population is currently not threatened by extinction. In the wild, a smew can live to be a decade old.

They have a distinct call that sounds similar to running a finger over the teeth of a comb.

These ducks are a bit smaller than a mallard reaching about sixteen inches (41cm) in length, a two foot (61cm) wingspan, and about a pound and a half (680g) in weight. They're diving ducks and their diet changes based on the season. During the winter, when food is scarce, they dive beneath the water and catch more fish. During the summer, when food is abundant, smews eat more insects. They also eat crustaceans!

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