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

Their uncommon displays involve drumming noises from inflatable throat sacs, throwing its head back, and erect short crests on its head. Plumage sequences are complicated and aging difficult.^{[citation needed]} Plumage is vital for survival because the bird spends most of its time in the water.