The white-headed hard-tailed duck (scientific name: Oxyura leucocephala) belongs to the duck family and is a very typical social type of water duck. Length approx. 46 cm. The sides of the forehead, head, and pillow, as well as the forehead and throat, are white, and the top of the head is black and brown. The episkele is yellow with dense black-brown ripples. The tail feathers are yellowish brown and very hard. The lower body is milky yellow with dark-brown transverse spots.
It breeds in the Alatau Mountains in northwestern Xinjiang, China; occasionally occurs in Honghu Lake, Hubei Province, in winter.
Migration: The white-headed hard-tailed duck breeds in China in the Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang and occasionally in Honghu Lake, Hubei Province. In Xinjiang, it is a summer migratory bird, and in Hubei, it is a rare fan bird.
The breeding period is from May to July. Pairs are formed mainly on the way to spring migration and after reaching breeding grounds. Pair binding is generally shorter and less secure, usually only temporary during breeding. It breeds in open inland lakes, ponds and swamps. Nests are found in shrubs or grasses on the ground near the water's edge, but also in reeds adjacent to open water. 6-10 eggs are laid per clutch.