Life List 084
Visually documented
Ruddy Duck
Oxyura jamaicensis
- First photographed
- June 24, 2026
- First location
- Utah, United States
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated
An evolving study
Ruddy Duck portfolio
This collection grows as I return to photograph new behavior, habitat, seasons, and stages of life.
Natural history
Species at a glance
Oxyura jamaicensis
Overview
The Ruddy Duck is a compact, stiff-tailed diving duck that often swims with its tail cocked upward. Breeding males perform bubbling courtship displays by beating the bill against an inflated neck.
Identification
Breeding males have a chestnut body, black cap, bold white cheek, and bright blue bill. Females and nonbreeding males are brown with a dark cap and dark horizontal line through the pale cheek.
Range
Breeds locally across much of western and central North America and in parts of Mexico and the Caribbean. Northern birds winter along southern coasts, Mexico, and Central America.
Habitat
Marshy ponds, prairie potholes, shallow lakes, reservoirs, sewage ponds, and sheltered brackish wetlands with dense emergent vegetation.
Diet
Aquatic insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and seeds and leaves of aquatic plants gathered while diving.
Photography by Brittany Templin
