Ruddy Duck

Ruddy Duck Male
Male
Ruddy Duck Female
Female

Male Ruddy Ducks certainly live up to their name. During the breeding season, Male Ruddy Ducks are bright reddish-brown compared to their dull, grayish coloring when non-breeding.

They have black caps on their heads that extend down the back of their necks, large white cheek patches, and bright blue bills.

Females have dark brown caps and similar but grayish cheek patches. They also have a slightly faint brown, horizontal line across their cheeks. Their bodies are also grayish-brown like the non-breeding males.

However, non-breeding males have the same distinct pattern and coloring as breeding males with respect to their heads. 

  • Oxyura jamaicensis
  • Length: 14 – 16 in (35.56 – 40.64 cm)
  • Weight: 28.04 oz (795 g)
  • Wingspan: 21 – 24 in (53 – 61 cm)

Range

Ruddy Ducks breed in western US states and western Canada before migrating to southern US states and the east and west coasts of the US and also Mexico. Some birds remain all year in western Mexico.

Habitat And Diet

You can find Ruddy Ducks in freshwater marshes, lakes, and ponds with marshy borders and portions of open water during the breeding season. In winter, Ruddy Ducks prefer shallow, saltwater coastal bays and estuaries. If there are any ice-free lakes and ponds, Ruddy Ducks will most likely stay there as well. 

Ruddy Ducks are divers and spend their time diving and swimming underwater for food. They feed on aquatic vegetation, like the seeds and roots of aquatic plants, and may also eat aquatic insects, shellfish, and crustaceans.

They also skim the water surface and strain mud and water through their bills to eat, so they may eat small fish and mollusks too.

Ruddy Duck Calls:

Ruddy Ducks are relatively quiet, but during courtship, the males make display calls and some sound like water bubbles. Females make a series of nasal grunts to call her young.

Male Ruddy Duck

Female Ruddy Duck

Nests

Nests of Ruddy Ducks are built by females to float on the water but remain hidden in dense marsh vegetation. Nests are made of grasses and cattails and lined with down. The female then anchors the floating nests to vegetation on the water.  

Females lay five to fifteen eggs, some of them in other females’ nests. She incubates these for around twenty-five days. After hatching, the young head into the water where they can swim and dive immediately.

Females look after them, but they essentially feed themselves. They can fly after around fifty days. 

Fun Fact:

In Europe, Ruddy Ducks are included in the list of Invasive Alien Species of Union Concern since 2016. This means that the species cannot be imported, bred, transported, commercialized, or intentionally released into the environment in the whole of the European Union.