Ring-necked Duck
Aythya collaris
A relatively small diving duck with a tall peaked crown. Males are handsome with glossy black head and back, clean gray sides, and a brighter white spur on the side. Females are grayish-brown, often with a paler patch at the base of the bill and a white eyering. Both sexes have a white band near the tip of gray bill. Also note gray, not white, wingstripe in flight. Usually favors small bodies of water, such as beaver ponds and cattail marshes, but also occurs on larger lakes, rivers, and bays. Can be found in mixed flocks with other diving ducks, although usually in smaller numbers than scaup. Compare with both species of scaup and Redhead (especially females).
Identification
Ring-necked ducks are small to medium-sized diving ducks with the following length, weight, and wingspan measurements:<p>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. The adult female has a grayish brown angular head and body with a dark brown back, a dark bill with a more subtle light band than the male, grayish-blue feet and brown eyes with white rings surrounding them. Females also make a noise like trrr. The cinnamon neck ring is usually difficult to observe, which is why the bird is sometimes referred to as a "ringbill".
Taxonomy
Genus: Aythya; Family: Anatidae; Order: Anseriformes.
- Scientific name
- Aythya collaris
- Authority
- (Donovan, 1809)
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
- Genus
- Aythya
Range and habitat
Breeding range: NA : widespread. Non-breeding range: MA.
- Breeding range
- NA : widespread
- Non-breeding range
- MA
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: rising.
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Brown-winged Schiffornis
Schiffornis turdina
Rather uniform colored with olive-green plumage and rusty edges on the wings. Note its large black eyes with a pale eyering. Occurs in the interior of humid forests, usually in the lower to middle levels where it can be rather secretive; rarely accompanies mixed-species flocks. The song is loud and melodic whistle “teeeeu, weee, tu-weeeé.”
Black-billed Peppershrike
Cyclarhis nigrirostris
Large vireo with stout hooked bill. Similar to the more widespread Rufous-browed Peppershrike. Dull olive overall with paler grayish throat and belly. Thin rufous forehead and eyebrow. Yellow on sides of breast is duller and more restricted than in Rufous-browed Peppershrike, and also note Black-billed’s namesake dark bill. Sexes alike. Uncommon in Andean cloud forest from 1,300–2,700 m, usually in the canopy and sometimes following a mixed-species flock. Listen for its song, a series of short warbled phrases.
Ochre-bellied Flycatcher
Mionectes oleagineus
Rather plain, inconspicuous small flycatcher of humid tropical forest; also wanders into adjacent clearings and semiopen areas with fruiting bushes and trees. Usually found singly at lower to middle levels in shady understory and at times with mixed-species feeding flocks. Feeds mainly on fruit, plucked by short sallies. Plain olive plumage with ochre belly is distinctive. Also has habit of lifting one wing at a time and moving head slowly back and forth.
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