Ring-Necked Duck

Aythya collaris

Most diving ducks prefer larger water bodies with deep water, but the Ring-Necked Duck will settle on relatively small and shallow ponds during migration and on the breeding grounds. In winter, they often gather in large flocks.

Ring-Necked Ducks breed in Alaska and across central and southern Canada. In the Lower Forty-Eight states of the USA, they breed in places such as western Montana, eastern North Dakota, the Great Lakes Region and in Maine. Anywhere to the south of Colorado and Kansas and all the way into Mexico might host these ducks in winter. Their winter homes also include the Atlantic coastal zone from New England to Florida, and the Bahamas and the northern Caribbean Islands.

I think a more obvious name for the Ring-Necked Duck would be “Ring-Billed Duck”. The ring on its neck is nearly impossible to see without the bird in hand, or with luck in perfect light, whereas the ring on the bill is rather conspicuous. Until recently, all my encounters with these ducks have been on their winter grounds in southern California, Arizona, southern Nevada, and central New Mexico. Update! While touring Canada in 2022, I met a pair of these ducks in the Canadian province of Alberta.

Today, scientists regard the Ring-Necked Duck as monotypic (i.e. no subspecies).

Ring-Necked Duck - Aythya collaris — **Ring-Necked Duck**
*(Aythya collaris)*

**Description:**
At The Zoo. Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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**Date Taken:** 2005:02:18 16:06

**Location:**

Barelas
Albuquerque, New Mexico
United States
4941.18 ft above sea level

**Camera Information:**
NIKON D1X, 600 mm, f/8.0, 1/45

**File Name:** JCD_5035RingNeckedDuck

© 2005 Jack Daynes, (shadetree-Imaging.com)

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Pin It — **Ring-Necked Duck**
*(Aythya collaris)*

**Description:**
At The Zoo. Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Read More

**Date Taken:** 2005:02:18 16:06

**Location:**

Barelas
Albuquerque, New Mexico
United States
4941.18 ft above sea level

**Camera Information:**
NIKON D1X, 600 mm, f/8.0, 1/45

**File Name:** JCD_5035RingNeckedDuck

© 2005 Jack Daynes, (shadetree-Imaging.com)

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