Ruddy Duck
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Oxyura jamaicensis
Population size
Unknown
Life Span
2-13 years
Top speed
72
45
km/hmph
km/h mph 
Weight
560
20
goz
g oz 
Length
340-430
13.4-16.9
mminch
mm inch 
Wingspan
470
19
mminch
mm inch 

The ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis ) is a duck from North America and one of the stiff-tailed ducks. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek oxus, "sharp", and oura, "tail", and jamaicensis is "from Jamaica".

No

Nocturnal

Di

Diurnal

Om

Omnivore

Se

Semiaquatic

Wa

Waterfowl

Pr

Precocial

Na

Natatorial

Te

Terrestrial

Co

Congregatory

Se

Serial monogamy

So

Social

Mi

Migrating

R

starts with

Appearance

The Ruddy duck is a small diving duck found in North America. These are ducks with stout, scoop-shaped bills, and long, stiff tails they often hold cocked upward. They have slightly peaked heads and fairly short, thick necks. Males have blackish caps that contrast with bright white cheeks. In summer, they have rich chestnut bodies with bright blue bills. In winter, they are dull gray-brown above and paler below with dull gray bills. Females and first-year males are brownish, somewhat like winter males but with a blurry stripe across the pale cheek patch. In flight, Ruddy ducks show solidly dark tops of the wings.

Climate zones

Ruddy Duck habitat map
Ruddy Duck
Attribution-ShareAlike License

Habits and Lifestyle

Ruddy ducks are usually active at night and sleep during the day. They are social birds and often congregate in pairs or in small groups, however, some individuals may occur singly. Ruddy ducks spend most of their time in the water and usually come on land only during the nesting period. They are excellent swimmers and feed mainly by diving. Occasionally they forage on the surface of the water. Ruddy ducks are shy birds and if threatened, they usually dive or hide in dense aquatic vegetation. They are migratory and winter in coastal bays and unfrozen lakes and ponds. Ruddy ducks are usually silent, however, during the breeding season they become more vocal while performing courtship displays; they make some drumming and males usually produce a “chuck-chuck-chuck-chuck-churr” call.

Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

Ruddy ducks have an omnivorous diet and feed mainly on seeds and roots of aquatic plants, aquatic insects and crustaceans.

Mating Habits

MATING BEHAVIOR
REPRODUCTION SEASON
May-August
INCUBATION PERIOD
22-26 days
INDEPENDENT AGE
3-4 weeks
FEMALE NAME
duck
MALE NAME
drake
BABY NAME
duckling
web.animal_clutch_size
5-15 eggs

Ruddy ducks are serially monogamous and form pairs only for one breeding season. Their breeding season occurs from May to August and during this time birds become very aggressive. They form pairs after arriving on the breeding grounds where males perform courtship displays for females. Ruddy ducks nest in dense marsh vegetation near water. The female builds the nest out of the grass, locating it in tall vegetation to hide it from predators. A typical brood contains 5 to 15 eggs which are incubated about 22 to 26 days by the female. The ducklings are quite large and fully developed (precocial) when they hatch. They leave the nest the day after hatching and are able to swim and dive well. Ducklings become independent from their mother 3 or 4 weeks after hatching, but begin to fly at around two months of age. Young Ruddy ducks become reproductively mature and are ready to breed for the first time at 1 year of age.

Population

Population threats

Ruddy ducks suffer from poor water quality, pollution, and oil spills as they are very dependent on wetlands where they spend most of their time.

Population number

The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Ruddy duck total population size. According to the Ducks Unlimited resource, the population size of the North American Ruddy duck subspecies (North America, Central America, Caribbean) is 650,000 individuals; Andean ruddy duck subspecies (High Andes of Colombia): 2,500-10,000 individuals; Peruvian ruddy duck subspecies (Neotropics): 25,000-100,000 individuals. According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) resource, the total wintering population size of the Ruddy duck in the UK is 60 birds. Overall, currently, Ruddy ducks are classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but their numbers today are decreasing.

Ecological niche

Ruddy ducks play an important role in their ecosystem as predators of aquatic invertebrates and aquatic vegetation. These birds are also an important food source for many local predators including birds of prey, raccoons, mink, American crows, red foxes, herons, and gulls.

Fun Facts for Kids

  • The genus name of the Ruddy duck comes from Ancient Greek 'oxus', which means 'sharp', and 'oura' which means 'tail', and 'jamaicensis' is 'from Jamaica'.
  • Ruddy ducks are one of the stiff-tailed ducks; they have long, stiff tail feathers, which are erected when the bird is resting. All stiff-tailed ducks also have relatively large, swollen bills.
  • Ruddy ducks lay the largest eggs of any duck in the world.
  • Ruddy ducks are excellent swimmers but they are very clumsy on land.
  • Ruddy ducks become especially aggressive during the breeding season. They can even chase rabbits that feed on the shore.

References

1. Ruddy Duck on Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruddy_duck
2. Ruddy Duck on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22727750/132178041
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/665164

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