Small in size and displaying a showy, almost comical alternate plumage, the male ruddy duck is an unforgettable sight.

Breeding males are unmistakable with their rich chestnut back, black crown, white cheek, sky-blue bill, and proportionately long stiff tail. Female plumage is drab in comparison, being dusky dark brown with a dark facial strip across the mostly white cheek, quite similar to the male's basic plumage.

Known for their peculiar courtship display in which the male draws his head down and slaps his bill against his breast repeatedly in increasing tempo, creating a bubbling in the water and a hollow tapping sound. A consummate diver, this bird rises off the water only after an industrious pattering along the surface, and is nearly helpless on land.

The ruddy duck is locally common east of the Cascades in summer, particularly in freshwater marsh complexes in south central and southeastern Oregon.

Hear the call of the ruddy duck

Photo by David Bronson, ODFW