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(Oxyura jamaicensis). Patient Number 24-1696.

Date of admission: Oct 15, 2024.
Reason for admission: Grounded, Physical Injury.

Patient History:

Ruddy Ducks are some of the smallest ducks in North America. They are stout and compact, with short thick necks and long tails that they often hold upwards. Male Ruddy Ducks have blackish caps and bright white cheeks, and in the summertime, they have red-brown bodies with distinctive bright blue beaks. In the winter, this coloration fades and they appear a dull grey-brown with grey beaks. Like many other duck species, females are drabber. They look a lot like winter males, but they have a stripe across their tan cheeks. Immature males look almost identical to females.

Ruddy Ducks feed mainly in shallow water on aquatic invertebrates. Midge larvae make up a large part of these duck’s diets in the summer months. They also eat the seeds and roots of plants including pondweeds, sedges, smartweeds, coontail, and grasses. They feed mainly by diving but have been known to also forage off the surface of the water. They feed mostly at night and can often be found sleeping during the day.

Ruddy Ducks are a shy breed, and many people will never see them despite their abundance in the summer months. This is because they spend most of their time surrounded by cattails growing in shallow water on the edge of wetlands. Ruddy Ducks are usually lethargic, and reluctant to fly. When faced with a threat, they prefer to escape by diving. On land, they are always helpless as they cannot take off.

Males migrate to the breeding grounds before the females. Pairs form after courtship displays by the males in which they raise their tails over their backs and bounce their heads rapidly so that the bill slaps against their chest. Male Ruddy Ducks are very aggressive and territorial during this time and have even been known to chase rabbits on the shoreline. Female ducks build woven platforms of grasses and cattails and are lined with down. These are located a few inches above the water and anchored to standing marsh growth. Ruddy Ducks lay big, white, pebbly-textured eggs. These ducks have the largest egg-to-body size ratio of all ducks! Females lay between 5-10 at a time, but most commonly 8. Eggs are energetically expensive to produce and hatch into well-developed ducklings that require only a short period of care after approximately 25 days of incubation. The young ducklings leave the nest within a day of hatching and are able to swim and dive immediately. They are alert, fully feathered, and can already feed themselves at one day old. They only need to stay with their mom for protection. The young first start flying around 6 weeks old.

This female Ruddy Duck was found grounded on the side of the highway. She was suffering from a wound to her side and some swelling in her left leg. After a month in care, her wound has closed over nicely, but we are still observing her closely for any additional swelling and lameness in the leg. She will spend time in one of our diving ponds to rest and rehydrate before being released. Thank you so much for supporting this duck!