The Ring-necked Duck is a diving duck that also uses shallow wetlands. It breeds in northern North America and uses lakes and wetlands during migration and winter.
The male is marked in black, gray, and white, while the female is brown with a pale face pattern. The peaked head and white ring around the bill are easier to see than the chestnut neck ring.
Researchers tracked the spring migration of 25 female Ring-necked Ducks that wintered in Georgia and Florida in the southeastern United States. Satellite locations recorded in 2017–2019 showed their routes to breeding areas, stopovers, and arrival timing.
The ducks traveled an average of 3,410 km over 61 days, making about 3.3 stopovers that lasted around 13.5 days each. Most moved northwest through the Mississippi Flyway toward Canada. Ten passed through the Prairie Pothole Region during the breeding survey but did not settle there. Twenty-four of the 25 suspected breeding locations were outside the eastern survey area. Arrival dates ranged from 17 April to 27 June.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
The authors suggest refining survey areas and timing so that migrating birds are not counted again as breeding birds.