Ruddy Duck - Oxyura jamaicensis
The oxyurini are "stiff-tailed" ducks. The tails are stiff enough to be used as a rudder. The duck below is turning.
The male Ruddy Duck stays with the brood after hatching. The only other duck to remain with the female after the chicks hatch is the Masked Duck.
Parasitic egg-laying is practiced by the Ruddy Duck, both within and between species, and this likely accounts for reports of nests with up to 25 eggs!
Sir Peter Scott introduced the Ruddy Duck to the UK in the 1940's. There were no other "stiff-tailed" ducks in the UK. However the introduced ducks migrated to Spain, and bred with White-headed Ducks and the dominant Ruddy genes became a problem for the native White-headed species.
References
The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Alberta. Federation of Alberta Naturalists. 2007.
Baicich PJ, Harrison CJO. Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds. Princeton UP. 2005.
Beadle D, Rising J. Sparrows of the United States and Canada. Princeton UP. 2003.
Fisher C, Acorn J. Birds of Alberta. Lone Pine Publishing. Edmonton. 1998.
Sibley David A. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. Alfred A Knopf, Inc. New York. 2001.
Tudge Colin. The Bird. Crown Publishers. New York. 2008.
The oxyurini are "stiff-tailed" ducks. The tails are stiff enough to be used as a rudder. The duck below is turning.
References
The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Alberta. Federation of Alberta Naturalists. 2007.
Baicich PJ, Harrison CJO. Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds. Princeton UP. 2005.
Beadle D, Rising J. Sparrows of the United States and Canada. Princeton UP. 2003.
Fisher C, Acorn J. Birds of Alberta. Lone Pine Publishing. Edmonton. 1998.
Sibley David A. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. Alfred A Knopf, Inc. New York. 2001.
Tudge Colin. The Bird. Crown Publishers. New York. 2008.
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