About the Ring-necked Duck
The ring-necked duck is a diving duck from North America commonly found in freshwater ponds and lakes. The scientific name is derived from Greek aithuia, an unidentified seabird mentioned by authors including Hesychius and Aristotle, and Latin collaris, "of the neck" from collum, "neck".
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
Ring-necked ducks are small to medium-sized diving ducks with the following length, weight, and wingspan measurements: Length: 15.3–18.1 in (39–46 cm) Weight: 17.3–32.1 oz (490–910 g) Wingspan: 24.4–24.8 in (62–63 cm) The adult male is similar in color pattern to the Eurasian tufted duck, its relative. Males are a little bit bigger than the female. It has two white rings surrounding its gray bill, a shiny black angular head, black back, white line on the wings, a white breast and yellow eyes.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What the Ring-necked Duck sounds like
Where the Ring-necked Duck lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Finland, Morocco, Colombia, Czechia, Ecuador, Dominica, Venezuela, Martinique, Montserrat, St. Barthélemy, Latvia.
When to see the Ring-necked Duck
Peak activity in March · a variable species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Lesser ScaupAythya affinisAdults are 38–48 cm (15–19 in) long, 41.7–43 cm (16.4–16.9 in) on average.
Tufted DuckAythya fuligulaThe adult male is all black except for white flanks and a blue-grey bill with golden yellow eyes, along with a thin crest on the back of the head.
RedheadAythya americanaThe redhead is a pochard, a diving duck specially adapted to foraging underwater.
Side by side: Hooded Merganser vs Ring-necked Duck · Lesser Scaup vs Ring-necked Duck · Ring-necked Duck vs Tufted Duck · Redhead vs Ring-necked Duck
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