RUDDY DUCK
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Oxyura jamaicensis
HABITAT: Prairie marshes, and heavily vegetated areas of North America, South America, and the West Indies.
CONSERVATION STATUS: Least Concern
FUN FACT: The small Ruddy duck is sometimes called the “butterball” or the “stiff-tail”. The second nick-name often refers to the duck’s long, firm tail feathers, which it can use as a rudder in the water.
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