Oxyura jamaicensis
Clowns of the wetlands, Ruddy Ducks display energetically on their breeding ponds. With great vigor, the small males pump their bright blue bills, almost touching their breasts. The plap-plap-plap-plap-plap of the display increases in speed to its climax: a spasmodic jerk and sputter. The Ruddy Duck is the only stiff-tailed duck found in the Rockies. It can be seen cocking up its rather long tail as it swims around small ponds. Female Ruddies commonly lay up to 15 eggs-a remarkable feat, considering that their eggs are bigger than those of a Mallard, even though a Mallard is twice the size of a Ruddy Duck! Ruddy Ducks often seem reluctant to take flight. When they do, like most diving ducks they must patter across the water for quite a distance before they become airborne. On land, the Ruddy Duck is almost helpless. |
I.D.: General: small duck; large bill and head; short neck; long, stiff tail feathers (often carried cocked upward). Breeding male: white cheeks; chestnut-red body; blue bill; black tail and crown. Female: brown overall; dark cheek stripe; darker crown and back. Winter male: like a female, but with a white cheek. Size: L 15-16 in. (38-41 cm). Range: common migrant and summer resident in the southern U.S. Rockies; uncommon migrant and summer resident in the central and northern U.S. Rockies and the Canadian Rockies. Habitat: shallow marshes with dense emergent vegetation (such as cattails or bulrushes) and muddy bottoms. Nesting: typically on the Great Plains; in cattails, bulrushes or other emergent vegetation; occasionally on a muskrat lodge or a log; basket-like nest is always suspended over water; occasionally uses the abandoned nest of another duck or coot. Feeding: dives to the bottom of wetlands for the seeds of pondweeds, sedges and bulrushes and for the leafy parts of aquatic plants; also eats a few aquatic invertebrates. Voice: Male: courtship display is chuck-chuck-chuck-chur-r-r-r. Female: generally silent. Similar Species: Cinnamon Teal: lacks the white cheek and the blue bill. Diving ducks: females lack the long tail and the dark facial stripe. |
