Ring-necked duck / Ring-billed duck

Aythya collaris

Amerikaanse kuifeend (Ringsnaveleend) / Halsringente / Fuligule morillon à bec cerclé

The Ring-necked duck is a medium sized diving duck from North America. The adult male is similar in color pattern to the Eurasian tufted duck, its relative. The cinnamon neck ring is usually difficult to observe, which is why the bird is sometimes referred to as a "ringbill".

Their breeding habitat is wooded lakes or ponds in the northern United States and Canada. The main breeding area is Northwest boreal forest territories. Their breeding habits also take place in the eastern boreal region of Canada but no where near the same amount in the northwestern region. Winter months they are usually found in southern North America in lakes, ponds, rivers or bays. Ring-necked duck pairs start during spring migration. Unpaired ducks showing up on breeding grounds will most likely end up being non-breeders. The pairs stay together only for reproduction, until then, they separate. The nest is bowl-shaped, built on water in dense emergent vegetation with sedges and woody plants. The female lays one egg per day until 8 to 10 eggs are laid. They are incubated 25–29 days and the female may remain with the young until they are able to fly.

These birds are omnivores and feed mainly by diving or dabbling at the surface. Ducklings are dependent on animal matter such as insects earth worms, leeches, midges and snails. As they mature they tend change their diet to vegetation like submerged and emergent plants. Submerged plants include pondweed, seeds and coontail. Emergent plants like annual wild rice.

This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be increasing, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is extremely large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern (IUCN, 2012).

More information: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22680370/0

Above: an adult pair of Ring-necked ducks, drake right

Above: an adult Ring-necked duck, drake

Above: an adult pair of Ring-necked ducks, female in front

Above: adult Ring-necked duck, drake

Above: Ring-necked duck, adult drake

Above: Ring-necked duck, adult female

Above: Ring-necked duck, adult drake

Scaups and closest related diving ducks (genus Aythya): (1) greater scaup, (2) lesser scaup, (3) ring-necked duck, (4) tufted duck and (5) New-Zealand scaup. Click image to enlarge.