Stiff-tailed duck

Stiff-tailed duck
Temporal range: Early Miocene to present
Male white-headed duck, Oxyura leucocephala
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Tribe: Oxyurini
Genus: Oxyura
Bonaparte, 1828
Type species
Anas rubidus (ruddy duck)
Wilson, 1814
Species

Oxyura australis
Oxyura jamaicensis
Oxyura leucocephala
Oxyura maccoa
Oxyura vittata
Oxyura vantetsi

Key:
  Oxyura vittata
  Oxyura ferruginea
  Oxyura maccoa
  Oxyura leucocephala
  Oxyura jamaicensis
  Oxyura australis

The stiff-tailed ducks, the genus Oxyura, are part of the Oxyurini tribe of ducks.

All have, as their name implies, long, stiff tail feathers, which are erected when the bird is resting. All have relatively large, swollen bills. These are freshwater diving ducks. Their legs are set far back, which makes them awkward on land, so they rarely leave the water.

Their uncommon displays involve drumming noises from inflatable throat sacs, head throwing, and erecting short crests. Plumage sequences are complicated, and aging difficult.[citation needed] Plumage is vital for survival because of this animal's tendency to spend time in the water.[citation needed]