364 



RUDDY AND MASKED DUCKS 



RUDDY AND MASKED DUCKS 



Subfamily Erismaturinae 



(Oxyurinae, of Peters) 



Ruddy Duck 



Erismatura jamaicensis rubida 



(Oxyura jamaicensis rubida., of Peters) 



(e-ris-ma-tu-ra, ja-ma-kn-sis, ru-bi da; ox-i-u-ra) 



Colour Plate No. 30. Downy Young No. 35. 



SCIENTIFIC NAME 



Erismatura, from Greek, ereisma, meaning a stay or prop, and oura, meaning 

 a tail (referring to the stiffened tail); jamaicensis, Latinised form, meaning of or 

 pertaining to Jamaica (whence this bird was originally described as the Jamaica 

 Shoveller, in 1785); rubida, Latin, meaning ruddy; Oxyura, from Greek oxy, meaning 

 sharp, and oura, meaning a tail. 



COLLOQUIAL NAMES 



IN GENERAL USE: Butterball; ruddy. IN LOCAL USE: Biddy; blackjack; blatherskite 

 (varied to blatherscoot, . blatterscoot, bladderscoot); bluebill; bobbler; booby; booby 

 coot; bristletail; broadbill; broadbill dipper; brown duck; brown teal; buck-ruddy; 



bullneck; bumblebee-buzzer; bumblebee coot; butter- 

 bowl; butterduck; canard roux (russet duck); chunk 

 duck; coot; creek coot; dapper; daub duck; deaf 

 duck; dicky; dinky; dipper; dipper duck; dip-tail 

 diver; dopper; dumb-bird; dumpling duck; dummy 

 duck; dunbird; fool duck; god-damn; goose teal; 

 goose widgeon; greaser; hard head; hard-headed 

 broadbill; hard tack; heavy- tailed duck; hickory 

 head; Johnny Bull; leatherback; leather-breeches; 

 light-wood-knot; little soldier; marteau; mud dipper; 

 murre; muskrat duck; noddy paddy; paddywack; pin- 

 tail; quilltail coot; rook; rudder bird; rudder duck; 

 salt-water teal; shot pouch; shanty duck; sinker; 

 sleeper; sleeping booby; sleepy broadbill; sleepy 

 brother; sleepy coot; sleepy duck; sleepy-head; 

 sleepy-jay; soldier duck; spatter; spatterer; spike- 

 tail; spinetail; spoonbill; spoon-billed butterball; 

 steelhead; sticktail; stifftail; stiff-tailed widgeon; stiffy; stub-and-twist; stub-tail; 

 tough-head; water-partridge; widgeon; widgeon coot; wiretail. 



DESCRIPTION 



ADULT MALE. SUMMER PLUMAGE, May to September: Head. Crown and 

 nape, glossy black to below eye, sharply outlined against white cheek; chin, white; 

 neck, short and thick, rich reddish chestnut; bill (fig. 55), bright blue, shorter 

 than head, high at base, wide at tip, curved upwards; nail, small, narrow, and 



FIG. 55.-BHI of Ruddy 

 Duck. 



