stiff-tailed duck

Information about the Ruddy Duck:

The Ruddy Duck is a duck from North America and the Andes Mountains of South America. It is one of the "stiff-tailed ducks." Their breeding habitat is marshy lakes and ponds. They nest in dense marsh vegetation near water. The female builds the nest out of grass, locating it in tall vegetation to hide it from predators. A typical brood contains 5 to 15 ducklings. They are migratory and winter in coastal bays and unfrozen lakes and ponds. These birds dive and swim underwater. They mainly eat seeds and roots of aquatic plants, aquatic insects and crustaceans. As a result of escapes from wildfowl collections, they are now established in Great Britain, from where they have spread widely into Europe. This duck's aggressive courting behavior and willingness to interbreed with the endangered native White-headed Duck, of southern Europe, has caused some concern. Due to this, there is now a controversial scheme to extirpate the Ruddy Duck as a British breeding species; there have also been culling attempts in other European countries. The poster is printed on matte, museum-quality paper with Giclée printing quality: • Paper thickness: 10.3 mil • Paper weight: 5.6 oz/y² (192 g/m²) • Opacity: 94% Buy a Digital Download