An in-depth biological overview of a fascinating group of waterfowl'Paul A. Johnsgard's first glimpse of a North American ruddy duck - a chestnut-brown bird with a blue bill, black head, and white cheeks - led to decades of observing the eight extant species of stiff-tailed ducks. In Ruddy Ducks and Other Stifftails, he and Montserrat Carbonell introduce general readers and ornithologists to the ruddy's morphology, behavior, ecology, and diverse relatives. This richly illustrated volume highlights these unique species at a critical time, when their wetlands habitats are increasingly at risk.