Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis Scientific name definitions
- LC Least Concern
- Names (47)
- Monotypic
Text last updated January 1, 2002
Sign in to see your badges
Species names in all available languages
Language | Common name |
---|---|
Afrikaans | Amerikaanse Stekelsterteend |
Asturian | Balbasía de mexelles blanques |
Basque | Ahate herdoiltsua |
Bulgarian | Американска тръноопашата потапница |
Catalan | malvasia de Jamaica |
Croatian | crnoglava čakora |
Czech | kachnice kaštanová |
Danish | Amerikansk Skarveand |
Dutch | Rosse stekelstaart |
English | Ruddy Duck |
English (United States) | Ruddy Duck |
Faroese | Tonut skarvsont |
Finnish | kuparisorsa |
French | Érismature rousse |
French (Canada) | Érismature rousse |
Galician | Raboalzado americano |
German | Schwarzkopf-Ruderente |
Greek | Αμερικανικό Κεφαλούδι |
Haitian Creole (Haiti) | Kanna plonjon |
Hebrew | צחראש אדמוני |
Icelandic | Hrókönd |
Italian | Gobbo della Giamaica |
Japanese | アカオタテガモ |
Latvian | Jamaikas zilknābis |
Lithuanian | Baltaskruostė stačiauodegė antis |
Norwegian | stivhaleand |
Polish | sterniczka jamajska |
Portuguese (Portugal) | Pato-rabo-alçado-americano |
Romanian | Rață jamaicană |
Russian | Американская савка |
Serbian | Crnoglava plavokljuna patka |
Slovak | potápnica bielolíca |
Slovenian | Belolična trdorepka |
Spanish | Malvasía Canela |
Spanish (Chile) | Malvasía canela |
Spanish (Costa Rica) | Pato Cariblanco |
Spanish (Cuba) | Pato chorizo |
Spanish (Dominican Republic) | Pato Espinoso |
Spanish (Ecuador) | Pato Rojizo |
Spanish (Honduras) | Pato Rojizo |
Spanish (Mexico) | Pato Tepalcate |
Spanish (Peru) | Pato Rana Norteamericano |
Spanish (Puerto Rico) | Pato Chorizo |
Spanish (Spain) | Malvasía canela |
Swedish | amerikansk kopparand |
Turkish | Amerika Dikkuyruğu |
Ukrainian | Савка американська |
Oxyura jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1789)
Definitions
- OXYURA
- oxyura
- jamaica / jamaicae / jamaicana / jamaicensis
The Key to Scientific Names
Legend Overview
Introduction
“Its intimate habits, its stupidity, its curious nesting customs and ludicrous courtship performance place it in a niche by itself. Even its eggs are unique in appearance and are deposited in a slip-shod, irregular manner that is most extraordinary. Everything about this bird is interesting to the naturalist, but almost nothing about it is interesting to the sportsman." J. C. Phillips (1926), A Natural History of Ducks (Phillips 1926a)
This small-bodied, stiff-tailed duck is appreciated by birders because adult males are richly colored with a striking sky-blue bill and have a highly entertaining courtship display. And compared with other North American ducks, the Ruddy Duck is unusual in many aspects of its biology. However, the species is disdained by many hunters and is introduced and invasive in western Europe, where populations are culled to limit hybridization with the endangered White-headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala).
Unlike most waterfowl, pairs form on the breeding grounds. Males perform unique, comical courtship displays and establish seasonally monogamous pair bonds, but some males are polygynous. Females lay large, rough, white eggs in well-concealed nests over water; their eggs are the largest relative to body size of all waterfowl, with a correspondingly high energetic cost of egg production. Highly precocial ducklings are tended by the female only and for a shorter period of time than most ducks. Some non-paternal males are known to accompany the brood but provide no care. Unusual among waterfowl, except other stiff-tailed ducks, a small percentage of Ruddy Ducks apparently undergo two remigial molts per year.
Ruddy Duck populations are stable or increasing throughout most of the North American breeding range. This species breeds primarily in the prairie pothole region of North America and is a common winter resident of brackish to saline coastal habitats and large inland water bodies. Adults and ducklings are mostly carnivorous and feed extensively on midge larvae (Diptera: Chironomidae), almost to the point of being a specialist on these insects.
Most research on this species has concentrated on one or more of its unusual aspects. Substantive information is available from southwest Manitoba on bioenergetics of egg formation (Alisauskas and Ankney 1994a, Alisauskas and Ankney 1994b) and nesting ecology (Brua 1999). Studies of foraging behavior in captives are excellent (Tome 1988, Tome 1989b, Tome and Wrubleski 1988). Studies of nest parasitism in Utah also provide valuable information (Joyner 1976, Joyner 1983). Due to their unique habits and interest to birders, stiff-tails have been covered in an excellent compilation by Johnsgard and Carbonell (Johnsgard and Carbonell 1996). Future studies on adult survival, mating-system genetics, dispersal, and wintering ecology would be helpful.
- Year-round
- Migration
- Breeding
- Non-Breeding