In a tide "slue" on Long Island I once surprised a male of this species. The bank was six feet above the low creek and my sudden appearance threw him into a panic. His efforts to escape were so ludicrous that I almost laughed the gun out of my hands. I let him go — and how he did move when the water deepened. With wings and feet going full speed ahead he made for open water, then came to the surface and laughed at me!
Northern North America, from Alaska across to Greenland, south in Winter to southern California and Gulf coast.