Ruddy Duck
(Oxyura jamaicensis)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy
|
||||||||||||||
Description |
|
Size |
15″ to 15″ in length 18½″ wingspan |
Voice |
|
|
Similar Species |
Habitat |
Breeding: Swamps, marshes, and lake edges with emergent vegetation Migration: Lakes and rivers with open water |
Ecology |
Migration |
Early March to mid-May and early September to mid-December |
Nesting |
|
Food |
|
Distribution |
Occurrence |
Common migrant, uncommon breeder |
Maps |
The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map |
Taxonomy |
|
Class |
Aves (birds) |
Order |
Anseriformes (waterfowl) |
Family |
Anatidae (ducks, geese, and swans) |
Subfamily |
Anatinae (dabbling ducks) |
Genus |
Oxyura (stiff-tailed ducks) |
Subordinate Taxa |
|
Colombian Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis andina) North American Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis jamaicensis) Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis rubida) |
|
Four subspecies have been described. Andean Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis ferruginea) is now considered a separate species, Oxyura ferruginea. Colombian Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis andina) may be a hybrid between the North American and the Andean Ruddy Duck. The North American population, Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis rubida), may be an invalid subspecies. Depending on which authority is consulted, there may be two, three, four, or no subspecies of North American Ruddy Duck. |
|
Synonyms |
|
|
|
Visitor Photos |
||
Share your photo of this bird. |
||
This button not working for you? |
||
|
||
|
||
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
||
|
||
|
||
Other Photos |
||
Slideshows |
Ruddy Duck |
|
Ruddy Duck |
|
Ruddy Duck |
|
Visitor Videos |
||
Share your video of this bird. |
||
This button not working for you? |
||
|
Other Videos |
||
Ruddy Duck (Anatidae: Oxyura jamaicensis) Male |
About
Uploaded on May 13, 2010 Photographed at Kellys Slough NWR, North Dakota (13 May 2010). |
Ruddy Ducks, Oxyura jamaicensis. Feisty little duck with a blue bill. |
About
Published on Sep 21, 2015 These feisty little ducks can be fun to watch. They have some unique courting behavior, and can dive to the bottom of their pond. |
Mysterious behaviors of Ruddy Ducks |
About
Published on Nov 12, 2012 For a male Ruddy Duck, the ability to impress one or more females determines the number of offspring he can sire. To do this, his overall size is less important than the size of his large feet and long tail. Males also go to great lengths to show off their vivid, sky blue bill, and they have the odd behavior of beating their breast and creating bubbles. In this video we propose that the color of a male's bill complements the color of the sky for a reason. |
Ruddy Ducks in Kansas |
About
Uploaded on Mar 26, 2010 Learn about these small and colorful diving ducks in this video. |
A male Ruddy Duck in nonbreeding plumage dives for food |
About
Published on Jan 27, 2016 A male Ruddy Duck in nonbreeding plumage dives for food and comes back up again. Ruddy Ducks forage mostly by diving to the bottom of shallow ponds, straining mouthfuls of mud through thin plates on their bills and swallowing the prey items that are left behind. They eat aquatic insects, crustaceans, zooplankton, and other invertebrates, along with small amounts of aquatic plants and seeds. At the end of the film, a Gadwall swims by. Video recorded by Jay McGowan in New York/Macaulay Library/http://macaulaylibrary.org/video/475156. For more bird videos and sounds, explore the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, http://macaulaylibrary.org. For additional identification and life history information visit: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruddy_Duck/id |
Visitor Sightings |
||
Report a sighting of this bird. |
||
This button not working for you? |
||
Tom D |
Location: Gull Lake- Baxter, MN Lone female in 50 foot deep water |
|
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
||
|
Created: Last Updated: © MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved. |