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. Plumage is vital for survival because of this animal's tendency to spend time in the water.
The genus Oxyura was introduced (as a subgenus) in 1828 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte to accommodate a single taxon, Anas rubidus Wilson, 1814. This is now considered to be a synonym of Anas jamaicensis Gmelin 1789, the ruddy duck.[1] [2] The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek oxus, meaning "sharp", and oura meaning "tail".[3]
The six extant members of this genus are distributed widely throughout North America, South America, Australia, Asia, and much of Africa.[4]
| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| O. australis | Australia | ||
| O. jamaicensis | North and South America (+ British Isles,[5] France, & Spain (introduced)) | ||
| O. ferruginea | Andes Mountains of South America | ||
| O. leucocephala | White-headed duck | Spain, North Africa, and western and central Asia | |
| O. maccoa | eastern Africa from Sudan and Ethiopia to Tanzania and west to eastern Zaire, and southern Africa from Zimbabwe to Cape Province, South Africa | ||
| O. vittata | central Chile, Argentina and southern Uruguay | ||
"Oxyura" doksana from the Early Miocene of Dolnice (Czech Republic) cannot be assigned to any anatine subfamily with certainty.[6]