ruddy duck

noun

1. a stiff-tailed American duck, Oxyura jamaicensis, the adult male of which has a brownish-red body, black crown, and white cheeks.

ruddy duck

noun

1. a small duck, Oxyura jamaicensis , that inhabits marshes, ponds, etc, in North America and N South America and has a stiff upright tail. The male has a reddish-brown body and blue bill in the breeding season

Word History and Origins

Origin of ruddy duck¹

An Americanism dating back to 1805–15

Example Sentences

Lacking a syrinx, dinosaurs could not exactly sing, but they still shook the Cretaceous forests with rubbing scales, snapping jaws, whip-cracking tails and a sound like the “strangled belch of ruddy ducks.”

From Scientific American

Back at the harbor, another small waterbird — an eared grebe — was released alongside the ruddy duck Wednesday.

From Los Angeles Times

Coast Guard said there so far was just one ruddy duck that was covered in oil and receiving veterinary care.

From Fox News

Coast Guard said so far there was just one ruddy duck that was covered in oil and receiving veterinary care.

From Seattle Times

There and at ponds on the north side of Miller Butte there were also mallards, buffleheads, a greenwing teal, pintails, a couple of hooded mergansers, a ruddy duck and others.

From Seattle Times