This short-necked bird is a juvenile Ruddy duck, possibly a female. In summer, the male has a chestnut-brown body, black head, white cheeks and a bright blue beak. Both sexes have long, rigid tail feathers that often protrude straight up like a wren when they rest. The species belongs to a small genus of ducks, "stiff-tailed ducks" (Oxyura), with only five species, which, however, are found on all continents. The American Ruddy duck occurs in almost all of North America and in the Caribbean.