- Ruddy Duck
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Ruddy Duck 
Male Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Subfamily: Oxyurinae Genus: Oxyura Species: O. jamaicensis Binomial name Oxyura jamaicensis
(Gmelin, 1789)Subspecies Synonyms Erismatura jamaicensis
The Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) is a small stiff-tailed duck.
Male on the left, female on the right
Their breeding habitat is marshy lakes and ponds throughout much of North America, and in South America in the Andes. They nest in dense marsh vegetation near water. The female builds her nest out of grass, locating it in tall vegetation to hide it from predators. A typical group of young ranges from 5-15 ducklings. [1] Pairs form each year.
Adult males have a rust-red body, a blue bill, and a white face with a black cap. Adult females have a grey-brown body with a greyish face with a darker bill, cap and a cheek stripe. The southern subspecies ferruginea is occasionally considered a distinct species. It is separable by its all-black face and larger size. The subspecies andina has a varying amount of black coloration on its white face; it may in fact be nothing more than a hybrid population between the North American and the Andean Ruddy Duck. As the Colombian population is becoming scarce, it is necessary to clarify its taxonomic status, because it would be relevant for conservation purposes.
FemaleThey are migratory and winter in coastal bays and unfrozen lakes and ponds.
These birds dive and swim underwater. They mainly eat seeds and roots of aquatic plants, aquatic insects and crustaceans.
As a result of escapes from wildfowl collections, they are now established in Great Britain, from where they have spread widely into Europe. This duck's aggressive courting behaviour and willingness to interbreed with the endangered native White-headed Duck, Oxyura leucocephala, of southern Europe has caused some concern.
Due to this, there is now a controversial scheme to extirpate the Ruddy Duck as a British breeding species.[2]
References
External links
- Ruddy Duck - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Ruddy Duck Information and Photos - South Dakota Birds and Birding
- The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (in favor of the cull)
- Animal Aid (against)
- Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas-Ruddy Duck
- Ruddy Duck videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection
Categories:- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Oxyura
- Ducks
- Invasive animal species
- Birds of the United States
- Birds of Canada
- Birds of Mexico
- Birds of Guatemala
- Birds of Honduras
- Birds of the Caribbean
- Birds of Puerto Rico
- Birds of Europe
- Birds of Turkey
- Non-native fauna of the British Isles
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