The Ring-necked Duck is a small, sharp-looking diving duck named for a field mark almost no one can see — a faint chestnut collar on the drake's black neck. Far more useful is the bold white ring around the bill and the bird's distinctly peaked, angular head. The drake is crisply patterned in black and gray with a vertical white spur in front of the wing; the hen is brown with a pale eye-ring and a subtler version of the bill pattern. Its peaked crown gives it a jaunty, alert profile.
Unlike most diving ducks, the Ring-necked Duck favors shallow, freshwater wetlands — wooded ponds, marshes, and quiet lakes — rather than big open water, and it dives in these sheltered spots for aquatic plants and invertebrates. It breeds in the boreal-edge wetlands of northern Michigan and passes through the whole state in good numbers on migration, often in tight rafts, with some lingering into winter where shallow water stays open.
Dives in shallow fresh water for the seeds, tubers, and leaves of aquatic plants, which make up most of its diet, along with aquatic insects, snails, and other invertebrates. It favors sheltered, vegetated wetlands over deep open lakes, feeding in relatively shallow water.
The name refers to a faint chestnut band on the drake's dark neck that is almost never visible in the field. The obvious mark is instead the white ring around the bill, which is why some birders wish it were called the "ring-billed duck."
The Ring-necked Duck has a peaked, angular head, a gray (not white) back, a bold white bill ring, and a white spur in front of the wing. Scaup have rounder heads, pale grayish backs, and lack the white bill ring and side spur.
In shallow, sheltered freshwater wetlands — wooded ponds, marshes, and quiet lakes — more than on big open water. It breeds in northern Michigan and is a common migrant across the state.
They are warm brown with a pale eye-ring and face patch and a gray bill with a white ring near the tip. The peaked head shape is the same at every age and is more reliable than the almost invisible neck ring.
A raft, though they gather in smaller and tighter groups than most diving ducks and favor wooded ponds and marshes over open lake water.
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