Ruddy Duck
Oxyura jamaicensis
Class
Aves
Order
Anseriformes
Family
Anatidae
Ruddy Duck
Range
North America; it has been introduced into several European and North African countries
Size
Length: 13.8 - 16.9 in
Wingspan: 22 - 24.4 in
Weight: 1 - 2 lbs
Habitat
Fresh water marshes, ponds, and lakes with emergent vegetation, and areas of open water
Young
Clutch of 3 - 13 eggs
Incubation: 20 - 26 days
Diet
Seeds, sedges, grasses, pondweeds, algae, and small aquatic invertebrates
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Ruddy ducks are great swimmer and divers. They are hardly ever seen on land. To escape predators, it dives rather than flies.
Ruddy ducks become aggressive during breeding season. Young fledge in 50-55 days.
Pleistocene fossils of ruddy ducks, at least 11,000 years old, have been unearthed in Oregon, California, Virginia, Florida, and Illinois.