Ruddy Duck

Oxyura jamaicensisOrder: ANSERIFORMESFamily: Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)
Ruddy Duck Head Illustration

Head

  • Bill Shape: Spatulate
  • Eye color: Brown iris
  • Head Pattern: Special (unique patterns or features)
  • Crown color: Blue, Black
  • Forehead color: Black
  • Nape Color: Black
  • Throat color: Rufous or Rust
  • Cere color:
Ruddy Duck Body Illustration

Body

  • Length Range: 35-40 cm (14-16 in)
  • Weight: 589 g (20.8 oz)
  • Size: Size 3. Medium (9 - 16 in)
  • Color: White, Black, Rufous or Rust
  • Underparts: White
  • Upperparts: Red-brown
  • Back Pattern: Solid
  • Belly Pattern: Solid
  • Breast Pattern: Solid
Ruddy Duck Flight Illustration

Flight

  • Flight Pattern: Direct flight with rapid wing beats.
  • Wingspan Range: 53-60 cm (21-24 in)
  • Wing Shape: Tapered-Wings
  • Tail Shape: Rounded Tail
  • Tail Pattern: Solid
  • Upper Tail: Black
  • Under Tail: Black
  • Leg color: Brown
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Family Diving Ducks (Anatidae)_blue
Species Oxyura jamaicensis
Length14 - 16 Inches
Wingspan22.5 Inches

Ruddy Duck

Ruddy Duck: Small duck, bright red-brown body; black cap extends below the eyes and onto the nape, contrasting sharply with white face; heavy bill is blue. Tail is black, often held erect when swimming. Some males show all black head, lacking white cheek patches. Direct flight on rapid wing beats.

● Song: Generally silent

● Foraging & Feeding: Ruddy Duck: Feeds on pondweeds, wild celery, algae, seeds, aquatic insects, shellfish, and crustaceans; forages on the water surface and by diving.

● Breeding & nesting: Ruddy Duck: Five to seventeen creamy white eggs, nest stained, are laid in a floating nest made of dry stems lined with down and concealed in reeds or bulrushes. Incubation ranges from 23 to 26 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Ruddy Duck: Masked Duck lacks white cheeks; female has two dark lines across face. Cinnamon Teal lacks stiff tail and white cheeks.

Flight Pattern

Direct flight with rapid wing beats.
Ruddy Duck Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Ruddy Duck: Breeds from British Columbia, Mackenzie, and Quebec south to California, southern New Mexico, and southern Texas, with occasional breeding farther east. Spends winters on coasts north to British Columbia and Massachusetts and as far inland as Missouri. Preferred breeding habitats include freshwater marshes, marshy lakes, and ponds. Found in marshes and shallow coastal bays during winter.
BreedingMonogamous
PopulationFairly common to common
MigrationMigratory
Weight20.8 Ounces