Ruddy Duck

(Oxyura jamaicensis)

The Ruddy Duck is approximately 11 inches long with a wingspan of 23 inches. They are a small chunky, diving duck with dark wings and a long stiff tail often held vertically.

Females have a dark gray bill. They have a dark cap, a pale gray cheek patch with a dusky horizontal stripe crossing it, and gray brown neck and body plumage.

The male looks similar to the female in the fall to winter season except that its cheek patch is white and doesn’t have a horizontal stripe crossing it. From spring to summer, however, the male Ruddy Duck has a white face with a brilliant blue bill. It has a black crown and nape and a rust-red lower neck, breast, back and body.

Reproduction begins with an elaborate display by the male in front of the female. The male will swim by her several times with his tail raised in a fan. He will then slap his bill against his chest producing a drumming sound and creating bubbles from beneath his chest. This display is more for territory declaration than anything else since the female is seemingly unimpressed.

After mating, the male will attempt to mate with other females, but will return to swim with the young of the first mate after they hatch. Nesting occurs in the vegetation characteristic of the marsh in which the bird lives. The nests are built gradually from grass as the number of eggs increases. On average, a female will lay one egg a day. The average brood size is 8. Breeding can occur in one-year-old ducks.

In, September, the ruddy duck begins the migration period, which usually lasts until the end of October in the northern territories . The ducks generally migrate at night and are seen traveling in large groups that can be made of several hundred. Northern spring migration begins in February and continues into April.

The ducks are generally nocturnal. During the day, when they sleep, they place their bills in the feathers at the base of the wing, while the feet are tucked up into the flank feathers. With a strong wind, the ducks can be blown across the lake like little balls.

The ruddy duck is generally a vegetarian but will also eat animals. The diet includes pond weeds, stems, and leaves, and larvae of midges. Food is acquired by surface dives. The shape of the body along with the feet located at the extreme rear make the duck an excellent under water swimmer. The flattened bill helps with the straining of materials on the muddy bottom.