Ruddy Duck
Oxyura jamaicensis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderAnseriformes (Waterfowl)
- FamilyAnatidae (Ducks, Geese, and Swans)
- GenusOxyura (Stiff-tailed Ducks)
- SpeciesOxyura jamaicensis (Ruddy Duck)
About the Ruddy Duck
The ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) is a species of duck, one of six extant species of stiff-tailed duck (genus Oxyura). In the 1940s, the ruddy duck was introduced to the United Kingdom, where it established a population. Outside the Americas, the ruddy duck is considered a highly invasive species, prompting many countries to initiate culling projects to eradicate it from the native ecosystem.
The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek oxus meaning "sharp", and oura meaning "tail". The specific name jamaicensis means "from Jamaica". The ruddy duck has also been nicknamed "butterball", a term used to describe an individual that is somewhat fat, due to its short and stout stature making activities like flying and walking upright awkward.
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. 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... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
American Wigeon
Mareca americana
Ring-necked Duck
Aythya collaris
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeata
Cinnamon Teal
Spatula cyanoptera
Common Teal
Anas crecca
Northern Pintail
Anas acuta
Gadwall
Mareca strepera
Mexican Duck
Anas diazi
Blue-winged Teal
Spatula discors
Snow Goose
Anser caerulescens
Redhead
Aythya americana
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Ruddy Duck in Saguaro National Park?
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Ruddy Duck sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 8,390 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Ruddy Duck in Saguaro National Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for Ruddy Duck in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.