The Ruddy Duck should not really be here. It is a North American species which escaped from a wildfowl collection and has become well established and widespread in the UK and western Europe. A problem has arisen in that the Ruddy Duck males will attempt to breed with a scarce resident bird called the White-headed Duck possibly leading to the loss of that species in its pure form. It is claimed that the male Ruddy Duck will aggresively out compete the males of the White-headed Duck to mate with the females. It is just as likely that shooting in Spain is causing the problems with the White-headed Duck. A controversial plan has been agreed by governments and conservation bodies to attempt to eradicate the Ruddy Duck from Europe.