Stiff-tailed duck

Stiff-tailed duck Temporal range: Early Miocene to present
Male white-headed duck, Oxyura leucocephala
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Tribe:	Oxyurini
Genus:	Oxyura Bonaparte, 1828
Type species
Anas rubidus (ruddy duck) Wilson, 1814
Species
Oxyura australis Oxyura jamaicensis Oxyura leucocephala Oxyura maccoa Oxyura vittata †Oxyura vantetsi
Key:   Oxyura vittata   Oxyura ferruginea   Oxyura maccoa   Oxyura leucocephala   Oxyura jamaicensis   Oxyura australis

The stiff-tailed ducks, the genus Oxyura, are part of the Oxyurini tribe of ducks.

All have, as their name implies, long, stiff tail feathers, which are erected when the bird is resting. All have relatively large, swollen bills. These are freshwater diving ducks. Their legs are set far back, which makes them awkward on land, so they rarely leave the water.

Their uncommon displays involve drumming noises from inflatable throat sacs, head throwing, and erecting short crests. Plumage sequences are complicated, and aging difficult.^{[citation needed]} Plumage is vital for survival because of this animal's tendency to spend time in the water.^{[citation needed]}