Physical 

Ruddy ducks are named for the male’s rusty red plumage. They have a black head and neck with white cheeks, a blue bill, and long black tail feathers that stick up in the rear. Females are mottled grey, with the same dark streak running across their eyes and upper head.

Habitat

Prefers freshwater lakes and ponds with marshy borders. In the winter, they stay on coastal bays and estuaries, as well as large unfrozen inland lakes. You’ll find them in Barnegat Bay over the winter.

Feeding 

Ruddy ducks feed by diving into the water to pick through the mud with their bills. They eat the seeds and roots of aquatic plants (pondweeds, sedges, grasses), as well as insects, molluscs, crustaceans, and sometimes small fish. In the summer, they start eating more insects and insect larvae.