Specieswatch: 10 to 15 ruddy ducks left in UK after Europe-wide cull

Introduced from North America in the 1940s, they became a threat to the endangered white-headed duckThe ruddy duck, Oxyura jamaicensis, should have been exterminated by now in the UK, hunted down and shot at a cost of roughly ?3,000 a bird. If you see one you are supposed to report its position so it too can be eliminated.Peak numbers 20 years ago were 6,000 birds - that was down to 26 in 2018 and now there may be as few as 10 to 15. Continue reading...