Ruddy Duck is a compact, stiff-tailed duck distinguished by its stocky profile, long spiky tail, and, in breeding plumage, a bright chestnut body and striking sky-blue bill in males. In Arizona, ruddy ducks are most abundant as winter visitors, arriving in October and departing by March, when they congregate on freshwater marshes, ponds, and reservoirs—especially at locations like Cienega Creek, Lake Havasu and the Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge.
Although primarily migratory in the state, a handful of pairs occasionally remain to breed in summer on quieter backwaters of southern Arizona. These ducks forage by diving, feeding on aquatic seeds, insect larvae and small crustaceans, and often form tight-knit rafts far from shore. Their reliance on healthy wetland habitats makes them sensitive to water-level fluctuations, but overall their broad range and adaptability have kept their conservation status at “Least Concern.”
