Ruddy duck

Last updated

Ruddy duck
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) RWD2.jpg
Male
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) RWD3.jpg
Female
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Oxyura
Species:
O. jamaicensis
Binomial name
Oxyura jamaicensis
(Gmelin, 1789)
OxyuraJamaicensisIUCN.svg
Range of Oxyura jamaicensis.
Synonyms

Erismatura jamaicensis

Oxyura jamaicensis - MHNT Oxyura jamaicensis MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.28.1.jpg
Oxyura jamaicensis - MHNT

The ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) is a duck from North America and one of the stiff-tailed ducks. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek oxus, "sharp", and oura, "tail", and jamaicensis is "from Jamaica".

Contents

Taxonomy

The ruddy duck was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae . He placed it with the other ducks, geese and swans in the genus Anas and coined the binomial name Anas jamaicensis. [2] Gmelin based his description on the "Jamaica shoveler" that had been described in 1785 by the English ornithologist John Latham from a specimen that he had received from Jamaica. [3] The ruddy duck is now placed with five other species in the genus Oxyura that was introduced in 1828 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte. [4] [5] The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek oxus, meaning "sharp", and oura meaning "tail". The specific epithet jamaicensis means "from Jamaica". [6] The Andean duck was formerly considered to be conspecific with the ruddy duck but with the two species split, the ruddy duck is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. [5]

Description

Ruddy duck diving under water

These are small, compact ducks with stout, scoop-shaped bills, and long, stiff tails they often hold cocked upward. They have slightly peaked heads and fairly short, thick necks. Male ruddy ducks have blackish caps that contrast with bright white cheeks. In summer, they have rich chestnut bodies with bright blue bills. In winter, they are dull gray-brown above and paler below with dull gray bills. Females and first-year males are brownish, somewhat like winter males but with a blurry stripe across the pale cheek patch. In flight, ruddy ducks show solidly dark tops of the wings. [7]

Standard Measurements [8] [9]
Total Body Length 340–430 mm (13.5–17 in)
Weight 560 g (1.23 lb)
Wingspan 470 mm (18.5 in)
Wing 133–147.5 mm (5.24–5.81 in)
Tail 67–79 mm (2.6–3.1 in)
Culmen 38.5–41 mm (1.52–1.61 in)
Tarsus 33–38 mm (1.3–1.5 in)

Breeding and habits

A female ruddy duck with six ducklings RUDU family.jpg
A female ruddy duck with six ducklings

Their breeding habitat is marshy lakes and ponds. They nest in dense marsh vegetation near water. The female builds the nest out of grass, locating it in tall vegetation to hide it from predators. A typical brood contains 5 to 15 ducklings. [10] Pairs form each year.

They are migratory and winter in coastal bays and unfrozen lakes and ponds.

These birds dive and swim underwater. They mainly eat seeds and roots of aquatic plants, aquatic insects and crustaceans.

Invasive species/Cull

Ruddy ducks were imported into the UK in 1948 by conservationist Sir Peter Scott. [11] As a result of escapes from wildfowl collections in the late 1950s, they became established in Great Britain, from where they spread into Europe. By the year 2000, the population had increased to around 6,000 individuals. This duck's aggressive courting behavior and willingness to interbreed with the endangered native white-headed duck (Oxyura leucocephala), of southern Europe, caused concern amongst Spanish conservationists. Due to this, a controversial scheme to extirpate the ruddy duck as a British breeding species started; there have also been culling attempts in other European countries. [12]

By March 2012 a culling program in the UK, supported by the RSPB, had killed 6,500, at a cost of £5m (£769 per bird). [13] In 2003 the BBC had reported the cost of killing each bird at £915. [12] In 2012 Lee Evans, founder of the British Birding Association, claimed "The cull cannot succeed now. There are hundreds of ruddy ducks on the continent which will not be killed so the birds will continue to breed. There's never been any proof, anyway, that the British population has ever interbred with the Spanish ducks". [13] By early 2014, the cull had reduced the British population to about 20–100, down from a peak of about 5,500 in 2000. [14] According to Animal Aid, in the UK the cost of hunting down the last few ruddy ducks was £3,000 per bird. They advised "If you see one, don’t tell anyone. Even bird groups will tell the authorities and those birds may be killed". [15]

In Europe, the Ruddy duck is included since 2016 in the list of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern (the Union list). [16] This implies that this species cannot be imported, bred, transported, commercialized, or intentionally released into the environment in the whole of the European Union. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stiff-tailed duck</span> Genus of birds

The stiff-tailed ducks, the genus Oxyura, are part of the Oxyurini tribe of ducks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gadwall</span> Species of bird

The gadwall is a common and widespread dabbling duck in the family Anatidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American wigeon</span> Species of bird

The American wigeon, also known as the baldpate, is a species of dabbling duck found in North America. Formerly assigned to Anas, this species is classified with the other wigeons in the dabbling duck genus Mareca. It is the New World counterpart of the Eurasian wigeon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common pochard</span> Species of bird

The common pochard, known simply as pochard in the United Kingdom, is a medium-sized diving duck in the family Anatidae. It is widespread across the Palearctic. It breeds primarily in the steppe regions of Scandinavia and Siberia, and winters further south and west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garganey</span> Species of bird

The garganey is a small dabbling duck. It breeds in much of Europe and across the Palearctic, but is strictly migratory, with the entire population moving to southern Africa, India, Bangladesh and Australasia during the winter of the Northern hemisphere, where large flocks can occur. This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Like other small ducks such as the Eurasian teal, this species rises easily from the water with a fast twisting wader-like flight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long-tailed duck</span> Species of bird

The long-tailed duck, formerly known as the oldsquaw, is a medium-sized sea duck that breeds in the tundra and taiga regions of the arctic and winters along the northern coastlines of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It is the only member of the genus Clangula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common shelduck</span> Species of bird

The common shelduck is a waterfowl species of the shelduck genus, Tadorna. It is widespread and common in the Euro-Siberian region of the Palearctic, mainly breeding in temperate and wintering in subtropical regions; in winter, it can also be found in the Maghreb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harlequin duck</span> Species of bird

The harlequin duck is a small sea duck. It takes its name from Harlequin, a colourfully dressed character in Commedia dell'arte. The species name comes from the Latin word "histrio", meaning "actor". In North America it is also known as lords and ladies. Other names include painted duck, totem pole duck, rock duck, glacier duck, mountain duck, white-eyed diver, squeaker and blue streak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape teal</span> Species of bird

The Cape teal also Cape wigeon or Cape widgeon is a 44–46 cm long dabbling duck of open wetlands in sub-Saharan Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrow's goldeneye</span> Species of bird

Barrow's goldeneye is a medium-sized sea duck of the genus Bucephala, the goldeneyes. This bird was named after Sir John Barrow. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek boukephalos, "bullheaded", from bous, "bull" and kephale, "head", a reference to the bulbous head shape of the bufflehead. The species name islandica means Iceland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cotton pygmy goose</span> Species of bird

The cotton pygmy goose or cotton teal is a small perching duck which breeds in Asia, Southeast Asia extending south and east to Queensland where they are sometimes called white-quilled pygmy goose. They are among the smallest waterfowl in the world and are found in small to large waterbodies with good aquatic vegetation. They are usually seen in pairs or larger groups of pairs, roosting and nesting on trees near water. They are strong fliers and are known to disperse widely, especially in winter. Their breeding season coincides with the rains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-headed duck</span> Species of bird

The white-headed duck is a small diving duck some 45 cm (18 in) long. The male has a white head with black crown, a blue bill, and reddish-grey plumage. The female has a dark bill and rather duller colouring. Its breeding habitat is lakes with open water and dense vegetation at the margin. It dives under water and feeds on aquatic vegetation as well as some animal matter. It is more likely to swim away from a perceived threat than to fly. This duck is known from Spain, North Africa, Western Asia and Central Asia. Populations are declining, mostly due to loss of habitat and pollution, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated the bird's status as "endangered".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific black duck</span> Species of bird

The Pacific black duck is a dabbling duck found in much of Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, and many islands in the southwestern Pacific, reaching to the Caroline Islands in the north and French Polynesia in the east. It is usually called the grey duck in New Zealand, where it is also known by its Maori name, pārera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African shelduck</span> Species of bird

The South African shelduck or Cape shelduck is a species of shelduck, a group of large goose-like birds which are part of the bird family Anatidae, which also includes the swans, geese and ducks. This is a common species native to southern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brazilian teal</span> Species of bird

The Brazilian teal or Brazilian duck is the only duck in the genus Amazonetta. It is widely distributed in eastern South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-billed teal</span> Species of bird

The red-billed teal or red-billed duck is a dabbling duck which is an abundant resident breeder in southern and eastern Africa typically south of 10° S. This duck is not migratory, but will fly great distances to find suitable waters. It is highly gregarious outside the breeding season and forms large flocks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-billed pintail</span> Species of bird

The yellow-billed pintail is a South American dabbling duck of the genus Anas with three described subspecies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand scaup</span> Species of bird

The New Zealand scaup, also known as the black teal or pāpango in Māori, is a diving duck species of the genus Aythya endemic to New Zealand. They weigh around 650 grams (23 oz) and measure around 40 centimetres (16 in), and have dark-coloured plumage. They are found throughout New Zealand in deep natural and man-made lakes and ponds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-eyed thrush</span> Species of bird

The white-eyed thrush is a species of bird in the family Turdidae that is endemic to Jamaica. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and heavily degraded former forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern potoo</span> Species of bird

The northern potoo is a nocturnal bird belonging to the potoo family, Nyctibiidae. It is found from Mexico south to Costa Rica, and on the islands of Jamaica and Hispaniola. It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the common potoo but is now usually treated as a separate species based on differences in vocalizations.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2018). "Oxyura jamaicensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T22727750A132178041. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22727750A132178041.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. Gmelin, Johann Friedrich (1789). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1, Part 2 (13th ed.). Lipsiae [Leipzig]: Georg. Emanuel. Beer. p. 519.
  3. Latham, John (1785). A General Synopsis of Birds. Vol. 3, Part 2. London: Printed for Leigh and Sotheby. p. 513, No. 58.
  4. Bonaparte, Charles Lucien (1828). "The genera of North American birds, and a synopsis of the species found within the territory of the United States; systematically arranged in orders and families (continued)". Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York. 2: 293–432 [390]. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1826.tb00254.x.
  5. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2022). "Screamers, ducks, geese & swans". IOC World Bird List Version 12.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  6. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp.  287, 210. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  7. Ruddy Duck Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  8. Godfrey, W. Earl (1966). The Birds of Canada. Ottawa: National Museum of Canada. p. 81.
  9. Sibley, David Allen (2000). The Sibley Guide to Birds . New York: Knopf. p.  103. ISBN   0-679-45122-6.
  10. "Ruddy Duck Fact Sheet". Lincoln Park Zoo.
  11. Ruddy Ducks and White-Headed Ducks - The RSPB
  12. 1 2 "R.I.P. Ruddy duck". 3 March 2003.
  13. 1 2 Vidal, John (8 March 2012). "Final 100 ruddy ducks in the UK facing extermination". The Guardian.
  14. "The ruddy ducks with nowhere left to hide - Telegraph". Archived from the original on 2014-03-31.
  15. "Ruddy Ducks".
  16. "List of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern - Environment - European Commission". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  17. "REGULATION (EU) No 1143/2014 of the European parliament and of the council of 22 October 2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species".