Editing Ruddy duck (section)

{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Ruddy duck
| image = Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) RWD2.jpg
| image_caption = Male
| image2 = Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) RWD3.jpg
| image2_caption = Female
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2018 |title=''Oxyura jamaicensis'' |volume=2018 |page=e.T22727750A132178041 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22727750A132178041.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref>
| genus = Oxyura
| species = jamaicensis
| authority = ([[Johann Friedrich Gmelin|Gmelin]], 1789)
| subdivision_ranks = 
| subdivision = 
| synonyms =
''Erismatura jamaicensis''
| range_map = OxyuraJamaicensisIUCN.svg
| range_map_caption = {{legend|#00FF00|Extant, breeding}} {{legend|#008000|Extant, resident}} {{legend|#00FFFF|Extant, passage}}{{legend|#007FFF|Extant, non-breeding}}{{legend|#FFFF00|Extant & Introduced (resident)}}{{legend|#FF8080|Probably extinct}}
}}
[[File:Oxyura jamaicensis MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.28.1.jpg|thumb| ''Oxyura jamaicensis'' - [[MHNT]]]]
{{birdsong|url=https://xeno-canto.org/species/Oxyura-jamaicensis|species=Ruddy Duck}}

The '''ruddy duck''' ('''''Oxyura jamaicensis''''') is a [[species]] of [[duck]] in the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Anatidae]]. The ruddy duck is one of six species within the [[stiff-tailed duck]]s ([[genus]] ''Oxyura''). Stiff-tailed ducks occupy heavily vegetated habitats in [[North America|North]] and [[South America|South]] America as well as the British Isles, France, and Spain. In the 1940s, the ruddy duck was introduced to the United Kingdom, where it has since established a growing population. Outside the Americas, the ruddy duck is considered a highly invasive species, prompting many countries to initiate culling projects to eradicate it from the native ecosystem.

The [[Genus|generic]] name is derived from [[Ancient Greek]] ''oxus'' meaning "sharp", and ''oura'' meaning "tail". The [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]] ''jamaicensis'' means "from [[Jamaica]]". The ruddy duck has also been nicknamed "butterball", a term used to describe an individual that is somewhat fat, due to its short and stout stature making activities like flying and walking upright awkward.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=hsotr |date=2023-08-15 |title=Ruddy Duck |url=https://homesteadontherange.com/2023/08/15/ruddy-duck/ |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=Homestead on the Range |language=en-US}}</ref>