Ring-necked Duck in Brazo del Este!
On the morning of 17 May 2023, our guide Candela Gonzalez found a male Ring-necked Duck during a tour with clients in the Brazo del Este.
The Ring-necked Duck breeds in North America, from Alaska and British Columbia to Newfoundland and New England. Its usual wintering grounds are the coasts of the United States, the West Indies, Mexico and Guatemala.
It regularly arrives in low numbers to Spain, especially in the northwest corner, so since 2015 it is no longer part of the Spanish list of rarities. However, there are very few records in Andalusia.
For Doñana and its surroundings, in García et.al and Observation and eBird databases we found only very few previous records:
- 1 ind. March 1985
- 1 ind. Winter 1999/2000
- 1 ind. March 2003
- 1 ind. November 2007
- 2 ind. November 2012
- 1 ind. June 2016
- 1 ind. January/February 2019
- 1 ind. March/April 2019
In the afternoon of the same day it was found, it was observed flying away to the east. We will have to keep an eye out to see if it is still in the area.
Bibliographic references
García, L. & Ibañez, Fernando & Garrido, H. & Arroyo, José & Máñez, Manuel & Calderón, J.. (2000). Prontuario de las Aves de Doñana. Anuario Ornitológico de Doñana, nº 0, Diciembre de 2000.