Oxyura ferruginea
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The Andean duck (Oxyura ferruginea) is a bird species native to the Andean Mountains of South America, one of the stiff-tailed ducks. It was considered a subspecies of the ruddy duck. In fact, some taxonomic authorities still consider it conspecific, including the American Ornithological Society.
These are small, compact ducks with stout, scoop-shaped bills, and long, stiff tails they often hold cocked upward. They have slightly peaked heads and fairly short, thick necks. In summer, they have rich chestnut bodies with bright blue bills. In winter, they are dull gray-brown above and paler below with dull gray bills. Females and first-year males are brownish, somewhat like winter males but with a blurry stripe across the pale cheek patch. It is separable from the ruddy duck by its all-black face and larger size.
Their breeding habitat is marshy lakes and ponds. They nest in dense marsh vegetation near water. The female builds the nest out of grass, locating it in tall vegetation to hide it from predators. A typical brood contains 5 to 15 ducklings.
These birds dive and swim underwater. They mainly eat seeds and roots of aquatic plants, aquatic... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lauca National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 2 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Torres del Paine National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 4 | Chingaza National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cochabamba | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 2 | Bogota | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | La Paz | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 4 | Lima | 🇵🇪 Peru |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sedgwick County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Chester Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | San Francisco Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Queens Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report an Andean Ruddy Duck sighting in Lauca National Park on a given day, based on 343 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 31st most-seen of the 112 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–February, April and July
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report an Andean Ruddy Duck in Lauca National Park on a given day, against about 30% in August and September, the lowest months. Those are among Lauca National Park's wettest months, with about 80 mm of rain a month against almost none in May.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Andean Ruddy Duck sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Andean Ruddy Duck sightings, Lauca National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Los Nevados National Natural Park (Colombia, about 20%) and Torres del Paine National Park (Chile, about 20%).
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Andean Ruddy Duck that you can see in Lauca National Park (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Andean Goose (about 60%), Crested Duck (about 60%) and Speckled Teal (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Andean Ruddy Duck is recorded against all the birds logged in Lauca National Park (343 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
