Stifftail from the Pothole. Central Park

After a long summer on their breeding grounds in the 'prairie pothole' ecosystems of the northern Great Plains, adult Ruddy ducks (who molt in winter and thus look rather dull) and their offspring fly east (whereas most birds migrate south) to bodies of coastal, fresh, brackish and salt waters, up and down the Atlantic seaboard, in the fall. They are very numerous on the reservoir and the Harlem Meer, as well as in prospect Park, in Brooklyn. They hang around NYC until May, and it is then that their fresh new 'ruddy' plumage can be seen, their winter molt finally complete. Notice the shape of their short, fanlike tails, used as a rudder for underwater maneuvering and for propulsion when on the water. Ruddies are dubbed 'stifftails' by ornithologists.

Images by Valerie Druguet


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