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Ruddy Duck

Introduced list

Oxyura jamaicensis

A small North American stiff-tail with bright blue bill, now rare in the UK after an eradication programme.

Stiff-tailed duck · 50 breeding pairs (UK)

Measurements

Length
35–43 cm
Wingspan
55–62 cm
Weight
350–800 g

Identification gallery

In most ducks the male (drake) and female (hen) look quite different. Study both to identify any bird.

Male Ruddy Duck (drake)
Drake (male)

Chestnut body, black cap, white cheeks and a startling powder-blue bill in spring.

Female Ruddy Duck (hen)
Hen (female)

Dull brown with a dark cap and a pale stripe across the cheek.

Photos: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Diet & feeding

Insects, larvae, seeds and plant material sifted from underwater mud.

Diving (disappears fully underwater) Small (teal-sized, under 45 cm)

Habitat

Lakes, reservoirs and gravel pits with fringing vegetation.

Breeding

Once numerous, now very scarce after a UK-wide control programme to protect the Spanish white-headed duck.

Migration

Largely sedentary.

Vocalisation

Males perform a bizarre bubbling display by slapping their bill and chest on the water.