Despite the name, the brownish ring on it's neck is rarely visible in the field.
The more obvious field mark is the unique bill coloring, showing a dark black
tip, and obvious white stripes on either side of a bluish-gray base color. Ring-necked Ducks are a diving duck that migrate through the state, summering only in the northeastern part of the
state. As with most ducks, male and female plumage is dramatically
different.
Habitat
The Ring-necked Duck inhabits marshes, ponds, prairie potholes, wooded lakes, and wetlands with abundant emergent and submerged vegetation. During migration and winter it also uses larger lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and sheltered coastal waters where it can dive for food in open water.
Diet
The Ring-necked Duck feeds on a mix of aquatic plants and animal matter, including seeds, pondweeds, wild celery, sedges, and other submerged vegetation. It also dives for aquatic insects, snails, mollusks, crustaceans, and other invertebrates, particularly during the breeding season.
Behavior
Diving duck, normally feeding by diving in relatively shallow water, although they will also occasionally feed similarly to dabbling ducks. Female ducks will stay with fledglings an unusually long time compared to most ducks.
Nesting
June and July nester. The nest of a Ring-necked Duck is vegetation lined with down, placed near the water's edge amidst cover vegetation. The female lays between 6-13 eggs, and she alone incubates them. The eggs hatch after about 4 weeks.
Song
The Ring-necked Duck is generally quiet, but males give soft whistles, purring notes, and low grunts during courtship displays. Females produce rough quacks, growls, and rasping calls, especially when defending nests or communicating with ducklings.
Migration
The Ring-necked Duck breeds across the boreal forests and wetland regions of Canada and the northern United States, then migrates south in fall to winter on lakes, reservoirs, rivers, marshes, and coastal waters across the southern United States, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. During migration it is a common visitor to inland wetlands throughout the Great Plains and Midwest, often occurring in sizable flocks on open water.
Lesser Scaup , Greater Scaup . The Ring-necked Duck differs from both the Lesser Scaup and Greater Scaup by its more peaked head shape and distinctive bill markings, including a white band near the tip and a black tip outlined by white. Male Ring-necked Ducks also show bold white markings along the flanks and around the bill, features that are lacking or much less prominent in the scaups. In flight and at rest, scaups generally appear rounder-headed and have broader, less contrasting bills without the Ring-necked Duck’s striking facial pattern.
Conservation Status
The Ring-necked Duck is generally considered a species of low conservation concern, with populations remaining stable or increasing across much of its range. Protection of wetlands through conservation programs has benefited the species, although habitat loss, wetland degradation, and water-quality issues can affect local populations. The IUCN considers the Ring-necked Duck to be a species of "Least Concern" .
Photo Information
April 5th, 2008 - Dewey Gevik Nature Area near Sioux Falls - Terry Sohl
