Ring-necked Duck

Aythya collaris L 17" (43 cm)

Photo by Maslowski Wildlife Productions. Listen to a ring-necked duck.

Male ring-necked ducks are have a distinctive white bar that separates the black chest from the white sides. The head and back are blackish. Females are brown with a small white line going back from the eye. Both have a diagnostic blue bill with a bright white band near the black tip and a high, peaked head. Ring-necked ducks are freshwater birds, gathering in flocks in migration and wintering in lakes, ponds, swamps, and smaller rivers. They favor shallower water and more heavily vegetated sites than most diving ducks. They sometimes flock with scaup and other diving ducks. They feed by actively diving for plant seeds and mollusks, although vegetable matter makes up the bulk of their yearly diet. Although silent throughout much of the year, the males give a quiet whistling sound on the breeding grounds. Ring-neckeds breed across most of Canada and in parts of the western United States.