This male Ruddy Duck was displaying in fine color showing its stunning blue bill. The crown feathers are raised periodically forming satanic looking "horns" while the tail is raised and the neck inflated. Unlike most ducks in which the males are dull in mid-summer and brightly colored in winter, the Ruddy male is most brightly colored in mid-summer and dull throughout the winter. This may be because pair formation takes place on the wintering grounds in most ducks, but only on the breeding grounds in the Ruddy.
