Ruddy Duck Diet and Size: Feeding Habits, Predators, and Measurements

The Ruddy Duck is a smallish species of duck with a relatively compact build. They can be easily recognised by their long uplifted tails and scoop-shaped bills. Breeding males have a blue bill, a chestnut body, black head and white cheeks.

Outside of the breeding season adult male Ruddy Ducks bills turn grey or black and the black head becomes more grey as well. These ducks are mainly active at night which is when they do most of their feeding.

During the day they can often be spotted sleeping with their tails up in the air and their heads tucked under their wings. 

In this article we’ll look into the dietary habits of the Ruddy Duck, their breeding habits and much more. Keep reading to find out more about this diving duck species.

The Dietary Habits Of The Ruddy Duck

Ruddy Ducks forage by diving and swimming underwater. They use their feet to propel them through the water and strain food from the mud through their scoop-shaped bills.

What Does A Ruddy Duck Eat?

The Ruddy Ducks diet mainly consists of seeds, roots and insects. They eat a diet of roots and seeds of many plants including; pondweeds, sedges and grasses. They also eat aquatic insects, crustaceans, molluscs, snails, and the occasional small fish.

During summer when they are more abundant, the Ruddy Duck will eat mainly insects and insect larvae.

What To Feed A Baby Ruddy Duck? 

Baby Ruddy Ducks are precocial which means they are pretty much self sufficient as soon as they hatch. They follow their mother to their feeding grounds and forage for their own food.

The mother will keep a watchful eye on her brood and show them how and where to find the best food for their healthy growth and development.

Breeding Habits Of Ruddy Ducks

The adult male Ruddy Duck has a unique courtship display. He raises his tail over his back and moves his head rapidly so that his bill slaps against his chest. He will also make short rushes across the water splashing his feet whilst flapping his wings.

Once they pair up, the female constructs the nest which is usually sited in dense vegetation close to the water’s edge.

Do Ruddy Ducks Mate For Life?

Ruddy Ducks do not mate for life, in fact, the male often disappears as soon as the female begins incubating the eggs. He will often leave the breeding grounds altogether at this point and never see his offspring or breeding partner again.

The Size & Weight Of Ruddy Ducks

Ruddy Ducks tend to fall in between the size of a Robin and a Crow. They are relatively easy to identify by their scoop-shaped bill which is bright blue in breeding males.

How Much Does A Ruddy Duck Weigh?

An adult Ruddy Duck weighs anywhere between 350 to 800 grams and females of the species lay larger eggs than any other duck species of a similar size.

How Big Is A Ruddy Duck?

Ruddy Ducks tend to be somewhere between 35 to 43 cm in length. With males being the slightly larger of the two having an average length of around 37 to 43 cm. While females average at around 35 to 41 cm in length.

Ruddy Ducks have an average wingspan of between 53 to 62 cm.

Are Ruddy Ducks Under Threat?

Ruddy Ducks are not considered to be under threat globally with an estimated 1.3 million individual birds of breeding age. They are listed as a bird of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

However, in the UK and mainland Europe they are considered to be an invasive species. They were housed in private wildfowl collections in the UK and sometime during the 1940s or 1950s some escaped and started breeding in marshy lakeside and pond habitats.

The population grew rapidly until there were an estimated 4,400 Ruddy Ducks in the UK by 2005. 

Spain raised concerns that the Ruddy Duck population from the UK, which had started migrating abroad, was threatening the White-Headed Duck population by interbreeding. The response of the British government was to start a cull of the Ruddy Duck. This cull which was funded by the British government cost £3.3 million and was supported by the RSPB.

However, some experts believe that over-hunting has been the cause of the demise of the White-Headed Duck. Of course this European invasive species order has had an impact on the population of Ruddy Ducks in the UK and Europe. Elsewhere there are sufficient numbers for the global community not to be concerned.

With that said, Ruddy Ducks do face problems like all bird species due to habitat loss, climate change, pollution and hunting.

What Eats A Ruddy Duck?

Ruddy Ducks face predation through all stages of their lifecycle from various animals and birds. The main predators of eggs and nests include raccoons, mink, skunks, crows, gulls and ravens.

Ducklings are often taken by large fish, hawks, owls and snapping turtles. Adult Ruddy Ducks face the threat of predation from birds of prey like Peregrine Falcons and Bald Eagles as well as coyotes and foxes.

Plus there’s the threat posed by humans whether it be hunting or government funded cullings or pollution and habitat loss, the Ruddy Duck will likely become an endangered species at some point.

Where Can I See Ruddy Ducks In The UK?

In the UK, Ruddy Ducks can be seen on freshwater lakes, reservoirs and wetlands. However, since the cullings started, their numbers have declined rapidly. They were once a common sight and can sometimes still be spotted in the following places in the UK;

• Rutland Water
• Cotswold Water Park
• The Somerset Levels
• Chichester Harbour
• Llanelli Wetland Centre

Sadly, you are highly unlikely to see a Ruddy Duck anywhere in the UK as a result of the government-led eradication program. If you do spot a Ruddy Duck and you care about the conservation of wildlife, you might not want to publicise its location.

Remember these birds are active mainly during the hours of darkness which means dawn and dusk are the best times to spot them.

SEE ALSO: Wheatear Vs Nuthatch: Key Differences Explained

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