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By many bird watchers, they consider the "Harlequin" duck to be one of the most beautiful species of North American waterfowl. It is exquisitely attired in bold combinations of steel-gray, with black, white, and rich chestnut. These hardy birds spend their winters swimming and diving effortlessly among the rocks along exposed, surf -pounded shores. Their preferred habitats are turbulent streams and rivers in summer and exposed rocky seashores in winter, and they are also migratory. They are about 14 � - 21 inches and the adult males are unmistakable harboring steel-grey, with bold slashes of black and white, a chestnut stripe over the eye, and a broad swath of chestnut along the flank. Females and immature males are dark brown with two spots on the side of the face. They are smaller overall than female scooters and with a much smaller bill. The males emit a high, squealing sound and females a harsh croak. Their range is from breeding in the west, from Alaska south to Wyoming, and in the east from the Arctic to northern Quebec. They winter along the northern Pacific and the north Atlantic coasts
