For more information about Ruddy Ducks, click photo to go to the Patuxent Bird ID InfoCenter Biological Characteristics Species Oxyura jamaicensis is 35-40 cm in length. The tail is fan-shaped.
Chicks are whitish until acquiring brown adult plumage.
Ruddy ducks are unable to walk. Status in Estuaries Breeder. Ruddy ducks are found primarily in wetlands with patches of open water, including ponds and salt marshes. Abundance and Range Winters along the east coast north to Massachusetts. Localized breeding areas are found in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey.