Ruddy duck
The ruddy duck is a distinctive species of stiff-tailed duck found primarily in North America's freshwater wetlands and lakes. Recognized for their long, stiff tail feathers that assist in navigation, these diving ducks typically engage in short dives, reaching depths of about 10 feet for up to 15 seconds. Males and females exhibit differing plumage, with males showcasing a striking reddish-brown coloration during the breeding season, while females maintain a more subdued brown appearance.
Ruddy ducks are social creatures, often residing in flocks and preferring stable water levels in marshy environments. Their diet primarily consists of aquatic plants, though they also consume some insects and small crustaceans. During migration, males attract females through elaborate displays, including puffing their necks and creating bubbling sounds. Nesting occurs in dense vegetation, where females lay a notable number of large eggs, and males take on the role of guarding the hatchlings. With a lifespan of up to 13 years in the wild, ruddy ducks are an intriguing species marked by their unique behaviors and adaptations.
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Ruddy duck
The ruddy duck is one of the species of stifftail ducks. It has long, stiff tail feathers that serve as a rudder in the water. It is a diving duck that usually takes short, shallow dives but may dive for up to 15 seconds and to depths of 10 feet (three meters).
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Oxyura
Species: Jamaicensis
Ruddy ducks are native to North America's freshwater wetlands and lakes. The female ruddy duck has dark brown plumage on her upper parts and pale plumage underneath. Her cream cheeks have a brown stripe from her gray bill to the back of her head. When not breeding, the male has plumage and bill colors similar to the female. Two distinguishing marks are his black head and white cheeks. The breeding season turns the male's plumage reddish brown on his upperparts, while his belly and rump become white. His tufted head and neck remain black, which makes his white cheeks and light-blue bill more noticeable. This seasonal color change is called coat color molting.
Ruddy ducks are 14 to 17 inches (36 to 43 centimeters) long and weigh around two pounds (nearly one kilogram).
This species of duck, like many others, is social and lives in flocks. They do not settle in regions with extremely cold climates and usually avoid running water. They inhabit marshes in prairies with stable water levels and dense vegetation. Although bodies of freshwater are more common as habitats, they may also spend the winter on brackish, or slightly salty, water. Salty water freezes more slowly in winter and may also have lots of underwater vegetation for the ducks to eat.
The diet of ruddy ducks consists of plants. They eat leaves, stems, and roots of many aquatic weeds, reeds, and rushes. They dive to the bottom to collect food in their bills and then surface to eat. They also eat some insects and small crustaceans for protein.
Males and females often migrate in separate flocks to their breeding grounds and form pairs when they arrive in April. The male attracts the female by puffing his neck and beating his bill on his neck to make loud noises. He also blows bubbles in the water. This is called his bubbling display. After this, he makes a belching noise. After several weeks, the pair mates and builds a nest among bulrushes and reeds. They bend the reeds and bulrushes to form a bowl about one foot (30 centimeters) wide and three inches (eight centimeters) deep. A ramp may lead up to the edge of the nest bowl, and the ducks may form a roof above the nest. Ruddy ducks lay the largest eggs in the world. The female lays around one egg each day for 6 to 10 days. She lays between 3 and 13 eggs and incubates them for three or four weeks. The male guards the chicks once they hatch. They begin diving and hunting for food the day they hatch. The young are independent before they have all their feathers at two months of age. They mate for the first time when they are one to two years old.
Male ruddy ducks are usually quiet, except when courting mates. Likewise, the females only squeak when threatened or if males come too close to them.
The life span of ruddy ducks in the wild is up to 13 years.
Bibliography
Hall, Lana. "Oxyura Jamaicensis." Animal Diversity Web, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Oxyura‗jamaicensis. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.
"Ruddy Duck." Aquarium of the Pacific, www.aquariumofpacific.org/onlinelearningcenter/species/ruddy‗duck. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.
"Ruddy Duck." Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/ruddy-duck. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.