Description: Although male ring-necked ducks superficially resemble their counterparts in greater and lesser scaups, their peaked, angular head profile, distinctive white bill markings, and uniformly dark upper wings distinguish them. Female ring-necked ducks most closely resemble female redheads, but are distinguished by their smaller size, peaked, angular head profile, and pale region around the face. Male ring-necked ducks have an iridescent black head, neck, breast and upperparts. The belly and flanks are whitish to grayish with a distinctive triangular white wedge extending upward in the area in front of the folded wing. The bill is slate with a white border around the base and nares and a pale white band behind the black tip.
Their name is derived from a faint brownish ring around the base of the neck, which is visible only upon close inspection. The legs and feet are gray-blue and the iris is yellow. Relatively silent except in display when a low whistling note is uttered. Female ring-necked ducks have a brown head with a black crown, light brown cheeks and chin, and a white eye-ring. A narrow white line extends from the eye to the back of the head. The bill is slate with a faint white band near the tip. The neck, back, sides, and flanks are brown and the belly is white. The legs and feet are gray-blue and the iris is brown. Female vocalizes a soft rolling "trrr."
Breeding: Ring-necked ducks breed from southeastern and east-central Alaska, central British Columbia eastward through northern Saskatchewan to Newfoundland, south to northeastern California, southeastern Arizona, southern Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, northern New York, and Massachusetts. They prefer sedge-meadow marshes, swamps, and bogs surrounded by woody vegetation. Female ring-necked ducks nest in flooded or floating emergent vegetation and lay an average of 8 to 10 eggs.
Migrating and Wintering: The majority of ring-necked ducks migrate through the Central and Mississippi Flyways to inland wintering grounds along the Gulf of Mexico and the southern Atlantic coast of the USA. In winter, ring-necked ducks use a variety of habitats, such as fresh and brackish marshes, shallow lakes, estuarine bays, and coastal lagoons. Ring-necked ducks are winter visitors to Central America and the northern Caribbean, and vagrant to Trinidad and Venezuela (Scott and Carbonell, 1986).
Food habits: Ring-necked ducks dive in shallow water to feed on tubers, seeds, and leaves of moist-soil and aquatic plants (pondweeds, coontail, water milfoil, hydrilla, sedges, grasses, wild rice, etc.). They also eat aquatic insects, snails, and clams.