Aythya collaris
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The ring-necked duck (Aythya collaris) is a diving duck from North America commonly found in freshwater ponds and lakes. The scientific name is derived from Greek aithuia, an unidentified seabird mentioned by authors including Hesychius and Aristotle, and Latin collaris, "of the neck" from collum, "neck".
Ring-necked ducks are small to medium-sized diving ducks with the following length, weight, and wingspan measurements: Length: 15.3–18.1 in (39–46 cm) Weight: 17.3–32.1 oz (490–910 g) Wingspan: 24.4–24.8 in (62–63 cm) The adult male is similar in color pattern to the Eurasian tufted duck, its relative. Males are a little bit bigger than the female. It has two white rings surrounding its gray bill, a shiny black angular head, black back, white line on the wings, a white breast and yellow eyes. The adult female has a grayish brown angular head and body with a dark brown back, a dark bill with a more subtle light band than the male, grayish-blue feet and brown eyes with white rings surrounding them. Females also make a noise like trrr. The cinnamon neck ring is usually difficult to observe, which is why the bird is sometimes referred to as a "ringbill". Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ciudad Juárez | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | San Luis Potosí | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 10 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 4 | Ecomuseum Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Slimbridge Wetland Centre | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Woodland Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Oregon Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Cologne Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Queens Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | L'Oceanogràfic | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 11 | Salisbury Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Alameda Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Tracy Aviary | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Visitors Center and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Cologne Zoo Aquarium | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Ring-necked Duck sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 1,688 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 71st most-seen of the 279 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and February
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Ring-necked Duck in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in April to October, the lowest months. Those are among Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge's driest months, with about 70 mm of rain a month against 210 mm in September.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ring-necked 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.
7th of 48
Of the 48 parks where we can rate Ring-necked Duck sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 7th at about 20%. The best odds are in Elk Island National Park (Canada, about 30%), Riding Mountain National Park (Canada, about 30%) and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (United States, about 20%).
Same genus: Aythya
The closest relatives of the Ring-necked Duck that you can see in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (genus Aythya, Scaups, Pochards, and Allies) are Lesser Scaup (about 40%), Redhead (about 10%) and Greater Scaup (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ring-necked Duck is recorded against all the birds logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (1,688 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.
