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Bird name:

Ring-necked Duck

Aythya collarisOrder: ANSERIFORMES Family: Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)

Codes: Common Name: RNDU Scientific Name: AYTCOL ITIS Taxonomic No.: 175128

Breeding Location:

Marshes, freshwater, Swamps

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Widespread, Fairly common

Egg Color:

Olive, gray, olive brown or green buff

Number of Eggs:

6 - 14

Incubation Days:

25 - 29

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Grasses and weeds lined with down.

Migration:

Migratory

General

Ring-necked Duck: Medium-sized diving duck with black upperparts and weakly tufted, glossy purple-black head. Neck, upper breast, and tail are black, lower breast and belly are white, and sides are pale gray. Cinnamon collar is hard to see in the field. Bill is blue-gray with white ring and black tip. Wings are dark with black-tipped gray flight feathers visible in flight. Female is brown overall with gray face and throat, white eye-ring and weak eyestripe, and white patch at base of bill. Juvenile resembles female. Eclipse male resembles breeding male but is duller and has darker sides.

Range and Habitat

Ring-necked Duck: Breeds from Alaska, Manitoba, and Newfoundland south to California, Arizona, the Great Lakes, and Maine. Spends winters from Washington south along the Pacific coast, east through the southwest and the Gulf Coast states and north to New England. Found on wooded lakes, ponds, and rivers; seldom seen on saltwater except in the southern states.

Breeding and Nesting

Ring-necked Duck: Six to fourteen olive, gray, olive brown, or green buff eggs are laid in a down-lined ground nest concealed in vegetation near the edge of a pond. Incubation ranges from 25 to 29 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Ring-necked Duck: Eats mostly aquatic plants and seeds, but also feeds on insects, mollusks, worm, and crustaceans; forages by diving from the water surface.

Vocalization

Ring-necked Duck: Makes a faint, wheezy whistle.

Similar Species

Ring-necked Duck: Greater and Lesser scaups lack white ring on bills. Tufted Duck has a more rounded head with a tuft on back of crown.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Ring-necked Duck

Ring-necked Duck: Medium-sized diving duck. Black upperparts, weakly tufted, purple-black head. Neck, upper breast, tail are black, lower breast and belly are white, sides are pale gray. Cinnamon collar is hard to see in the field. Dark wings have black-tipped gray flight feathers visible in flight. Blue-gray bill, white ring, black tip.

● Song: "deeeeer"

● Foraging & Feeding: Ring-necked Duck: Eats mostly aquatic plants and seeds, but also feeds on insects, mollusks, worm, and crustaceans; forages by diving from the water surface.

● Breeding & nesting: Ring-necked Duck: Six to fourteen olive, gray, olive brown, or green buff eggs are laid in a down-lined ground nest concealed in vegetation near the edge of a pond. Incubation ranges from 25 to 29 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Ring-necked Duck: Greater and Lesser scaups lack white ring on bills. Tufted Duck has a more rounded head with a tuft on back of crown.

Flight Pattern

Direct flight with rapid wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: Ring-necked Duck: Breeds from Alaska, Manitoba, and Newfoundland south to California, Arizona, the Great Lakes, and Maine. Spends winters from Washington south along the Pacific coast, east through the southwest and the Gulf Coast states and north to New England. Found on wooded lakes, ponds, and rivers; seldom seen on saltwater except in the southern states.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^PopulationWidespread, Fairly common

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight25.6 Ounces

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Collar

Similar to the upper part of the human neck, located at the back of the crown.

Face

The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.

Flight feathers

Located on the wing, and collectively called remiges (singular, remex). The long stiff feathers are subdivided into two major groups based on the location and are called primaries and secondaries.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America

Ring-necked Duck

Breeding Location:

Breeding Type:

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Nest Material:

Migration:

Recommended Products:

General

Range and Habitat

Breeding and Nesting

Foraging and Feeding

Vocalization

Similar Species

Ring-necked Duck

Flight Pattern