Aythya collaris
For anyone who has seen a Ring-necked Duck, the field mark that immediately strikes the observer is the white ring around the base of the male's bill. For this reason, this stout duck perhaps should have been named the 'Ring-billed Duck'-its neck ring is barely visible. The Ring-necked Duck normally nests in more northern forests, but in the Rockies it breeds in cool woodland ponds south to Wyoming. Small flocks of this gregarious bird are often seen in the Rockies. The birds ride high on the surface of wetlands, frequently carrying their tails clear of the water. The scientific name collaris is Latin for 'collar,' a reference to the rarely seen (even by experienced birders), brownish collar around the base of the male's neck. |
I.D.: Male: dark, angular head with hints of purple; black breast, back and hindquarters; white shoulder slash; gray sides; thin, white ring around the base of the bill; blue-gray bill with black and white banding at the tip. Female: dark brown body; light brown head; faint white eye ring. Size: L 14-18 in. (36-46 cm). Range: fairly common breeder and migrant in the Canadian and northern U.S. Rockies; common to uncommon migrant in the southern U.S. Rockies. Habitat: wooded ponds, swamps and marshes and sloughs with emergent vegetation; often associated with yellow waterlilies. Nesting: frequently over water on a hummock or shoreline; bulky nest is made of grass and moss and lined with down; female incubates 8-10 olive-tan eggs. Feeding: dives underwater mostly for aquatic vegetation, including seeds, tubers and pondweed leaves; also eats aquatic invertebrates. Voice: seldom heard. Male: low-pitched, hissing whistle. Female: growling churr. Similar Species: Lesser Scaup: lacks the white shoulder slash and the black back; uniform-colored bill, with small black tip. Redhead: female's head is the same tone as her body. |
