Ring-necked Duck
Ring-necked Duck has surged: up 840% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Ring-necked Duck
The Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) is a North American member of the Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl (Anatidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the waterfowl.
- Size
- 12–43.5 in long (30–110 cm) — a medium to large waterfowl (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes and sheltered coastal waters.
- Diet
- Aquatic plants, seeds and invertebrates, dabbled at the surface or dived for.
- Range
- Recorded on 314 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 24 states, most concentrated in the Northern Rockies.
- Family
- Anatidae · Waterfowl
Notable Ring-necked Duck Trends
No notable trend signals for Ring-necked Duck. See the full index history below.
Ring-necked Duck Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Ring-necked Duck is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.10 (95% range 0.06–0.14). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±48.9%, with 60% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.09 | 0.05 | 0.13 |
| 2026 | 0.09 | 0.05 | 0.13 |
| 2027 | 0.09 | 0.06 | 0.13 |
| 2028 | 0.10 | 0.06 | 0.14 |
| 2029 | 0.10 | 0.06 | 0.14 |
Where the Ring-necked Duck Is Detected
BBS routes recording Ring-necked Duck, sized by most recent count.
Ring-necked Duck Population Trend by State
| Alabama | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Alaska | +59% | 1988 | 31 |
| Arizona | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| California | +903% | 1993 | 13 |
| Colorado | -47% | 1988 | 29 |
| Idaho | +61% | 1978 | 12 |
| Iowa | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Maine | -64% | 1986 | 12 |
| Michigan | +255% | 1974 | 15 |
| Minnesota | +91% | 1970 | 38 |
| Montana | -21% | 1976 | 23 |
| Nebraska | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Nevada | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| New Hampshire | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| New York | insufficient data | n/a | 5 |
| North Dakota | +443% | 1970 | 21 |
| Ohio | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Oregon | +2% | 1984 | 17 |
| South Dakota | +37% | 1998 | 10 |
| Utah | -67% | 1994 | 20 |
| Vermont | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Washington | -83% | 1980 | 22 |
| Wisconsin | -40% | 1969 | 17 |
| Wyoming | +34% | 1985 | 18 |
Ring-necked Duck Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| BCR 4 | +15% | 1989 | 22 |
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | +51% | 1982 | 16 |
| Great Basin | -21% | 1983 | 44 |
| Northern Rockies | +78% | 1976 | 48 |
| Prairie Potholes | +489% | 1970 | 40 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | +200% | 1970 | 47 |
| Atlantic Northern Forest | -74% | 1971 | 19 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | -58% | 1988 | 42 |
| Badlands and Prairies | +51% | 1994 | 10 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | +19% | 1968 | 17 |
Ring-necked Duck Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 840% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.