Ring-necked Duck
From Natural History of Southeast Alaska
| Locale | Sp | Su | F | W | Br |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SE Alaska (edit) | U | R | U | R | Y |
| Yakutat (edit) | C | C | C | - | C |
| Skagway (edit) | R | R | R | - | - |
| Haines (edit) | U | R | U | R | - |
| Glacier Bay (edit) | FC | R | FC | R | - |
| Juneau (edit) | U | R | U | VR | R |
| Sitka (edit) | U | VR | U | U | ? |
| Stikine (edit) | |||||
| S Outer Islands (edit) | |||||
| Ketchikan (edit) | U | R | U | R | R |
| Offshore (edit) |
Nesting is apparently Common around Yakutat, and Rare or undocumented elsewhere.
This species is primarily on freshwater lakes and ponds.
- confirm the C in Yakutat and R in Skagway
- Migration dates and/or typical numbers?
- How many places have confirmed nesting?
- FC migrant in Glacier Bay - genuinely more abundant there, or just difference of classification choice for similar abundance?
- More common in fall/winter recent decades? Sitka records would suggest so for this area, at least - in recent years, typical numbers prior to Swan Lake freezing are 20-30, with higher counts not unusual, max was ~70
- F2008: 25 at SIT on 25 November was larger than average for SEAK.
- Sp2009: Small numbers of this uncommon migrant were found throughout the region, with a maximum count of 17 birds at GUS on 7 May.
- Su2009: 14 at Barnes Lake, Stikine River, 7 June was a large count at a location where this species has nested (Kessel and Gibson 1978). Nine were also found in the Mendenhall forelands, near JNU, on 28 June and three were reported at Swan Lake, SIT, 12 June. This species is a rare [or locally uncommon] summer visitant and very rare breeder in SEAK (Kessel and Gibson 1978)
- F2009: Maximum counts of this uncommon species came from two favored locations: 30 at JNU’s Twin Lakes 17 November and 25 at SIT's Swan Lake 6 and 17 November. At least 10 at WRG from late October through the end of the period was also a nice count.
- W2009-10: Normal small numbers were reported this winter, with a maximum count of 32 at SIT 15 February.
- Sp2010: 44 Ring-necked Ducks at the Mendenhall Wetlands 6 May provided a nice high count for SEAK, where the species is typically uncommon.
- Su2010: A female with three downy chicks (perhaps a week old) was found at Norton Lake, on JNU’s Mendenhall Forelands, 19 July. This species is a rare [or locally uncommon] summer visitant and very rare breeder in SEAK (Kessel and Gibson 1978).
- F2010: Found in larger-than-average numbers in the JNU area from mid-October to early November, including a maximum count of 125 at Twin Lakes 18 October that far exceeded the previous local high count.
- Su2011: Nesting again documented in the JNU area with broods at Norton Lake 2 July (female with five downy chicks) and Moraine Lake 19 July (female with seven downy chicks). Two broods were also found at Hill Lake, Mitkof Island, 10 July (females with one chick and two chicks). This species is a locally uncommon summer visitant and rare breeder in SEAK.
- Sp2012: Thirty-five Ring-necked Ducks at GUS 8 May represented a larger-than-average count for SEAK.
- F2012: A brood of Ring-necked Ducks (five ducklings and a hen) at Moose Lake 18– 19 August added to nest records in the JNU area. Maximum counts were made at the usual locations later in mid-October, including 53 at JNU’s Twin Lakes 17 October and 20 at SIT’s Swan Lake 21 October.
- Sp2013: 88 on a marsh near mile 24 in the Chilkat Valley 13 May was exceptional and represented one of the largest counts ever for Southeast.
- W2013-14: Normal small numbers were reported in most locations this winter. A flock of 45 at SIT 10 January provided a new local high count.
- F2014: High counts at favored sites included 60 at SIT’s Swan Lake 19–20 October, 70 at Bartlett Lake, near GUS, 6–20 November, and 88 at Twin Lakes, near JNU, 12 October.
- Su2015: Breeding was again nicely documented in the JNU area 17 June and 25 June.
- F2016: An estimated 120 at Bartlett Lake, near GUS, 21 October was among the highest counts ever for SEAK.
- F2017: A flock of 113 at Bartlett Lake, near GUS, 23 October was the 2nd largest number recorded at that location and among the largest SEAK counts of this species, which is uncommon throughout most of the region.
Local Notes
- Glacier Bay/Ring-necked Duck: Ring-necked Ducks are usually found on lakes during migration. (edit)
- Haines/Ring-necked Duck: (edit)
- Juneau/Ring-necked Duck: (edit)
- Ketchikan/Ring-necked Duck: (edit)
- Sitka/Ring-necked Duck: Uncommon in mirgration and winter. Rare in summer. Best seen at Swan Lake in late fall and winter prior to it freezing over. Ring-necked Ducks are somewhat mysterious in the Sitka area. They are typically observed on Swan Lake whenever there is sufficient open water from late fall through the winter. However, unlike other ducks that also winter on the lake, they are almost never observed along the salt water shoreline when the lake is frozen. They have been observed on Indian River, so it seems likely that they utilize rivers when the lake is not available, however they are not frequently reported from there, even when the lake is frozen. (edit)
- Skagway/Ring-necked Duck: (edit)
- Yakutat/Ring-necked Duck: (edit)
References
Weblinks
- All About Birds Page for Ring-necked Duck
- Search Arctos Database for Ring-necked Duck (Southeast only)
- Search Arctos Database for Ring-necked Duck (entire database)
- Encyclopedia of Life search for Aythya collaris
- iNaturalist Observations for Aythya collaris in Southeast Alaska
Other References
Related Files
Ring-necked Ducks on Indian River
Plot of Ring-necked Duck observations in Sitka
