Where the tide rips swirl, And the wild ducks whirl, And old Neptune calls the number, 'Neath the broad Atlantic combers. Harlequins are considered an indicator species, meaning that their declining populations may be an early reflection of changes in the wildland habitats on which they depend.
Young harlequins can swim only days after they hatch.
Some hens will leave the nesting rivers even before their young can fly at eight weeks of age. The ducklings then have to find food and shelter on their own. The only North American duck to become extinct, the Labrador duck, is believed to have bred in a restricted range in southern Labrador. Probably never abundant, it was sought for its flesh, feathers and eggs. Fifty-four museum specimens throughout the world are all that remain to remind us that it ever existed.