Oxyura jamaicensis

Description

The female ruddy duck has a gray-brown body. The top of her head is dark and the bottom of her head is light with a dark line running through her cheeks. The breeding male ruddy duck has a reddish-brown body and a blue bill. The top of his head is black and the bottom of his head is white. The nonbreeding ruddy duck male has a gray-brown body and a gray bill. Both male and female ruddy ducks have a relatively large head and bill and a long tail.

Voice

Female ruddy ducks squeak and male ruddy ducks make a call that sounds like "chick ik ik ik k k k krrr."

Breeding

March to August

Habitat

These diving ducks swim in marshes, ponds, and lakes. They build their nests in plants in shallow water.

Diet

Ruddy ducks eat plants, insects, and mollusks.

Range

You can find ruddy ducks in Canada during the summer and year-round in the western United States and Mexico. They spend their winters in the lower United States and along the Atlantic coast. You can see them in VT and NH during migration.

Other Useful Information

These birds are social and like to stay in pure flocks (flocks made up only of ruddy ducks).