Bufflehead

Bucephala albeola

Order ANSERIFORMES - Family ANATIDAE - Subfamily Anatinae

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1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Habitat
7. Food
8. Behavior
9. Reproduction
10. Conservation Status
11. Other Names

The smallest diving duck in North America, the Bufflehead breeds in ponds and small lakes in Canada, and winters in much of the United States. It nests in tree cavities as well as in nest boxes.

Cool Facts

• The Bufflehead nests almost exclusively in holes excavated by Northern Flickers and, on occasion, by Pileated Woodpeckers.
• Unlike most ducks, the Bufflehead is mostly monogamous, often remaining with the same mate for several years.

• The Bufflehead lays eggs more slowly than most other ducks, commonly with intervals of two or three days between eggs.

Description

• Size: 32-40 cm (13-16 in)
• Wingspan: 55 cm (22 in)
• Weight: 272-635 g (9.6-22.42 ounces)

• Small diving duck.
• Black-and-white.
• Small gray bill.
• White patch on side of head.

• Rounded head.
• Dark back.
• White patch in wings visible in flight.
• Eyes dark brown.

Sex Differences

Male with white sides, black back and head, and large white patch on head. Female duller and darker, with gray sides and small white patch on head.

Male

Breeding (Alternate) Plumage: Head glossy dark purple-green with large white patch covering the entire back of the head. Black back, white underparts. Wings have a large white patch, including secondaries and coverts.
Nonbreeding (Basic) Plumage: Head not glossy, large white ear patch does not extend around back of head.

Female

Mostly dark, with dark brown head and upperparts; underparts dusky gray. Face has a small white patch in ear area.

Immature

Similar to adult female, with less distinct ear patch.

Similar Species

• Male Hooded Merganser has a large white patch on head, but has brown sides.
• Female Common and Barrow's goldeneyes have no white on the face; male goldeneyes have white patches in front of eye, not in back.
• Male Ruddy Duck's white cheek patch is larger, extending to bill; female Ruddy Duck shows a dark line separating whitish areas on face.

Sound

Usually silent. Courtship display includes guttural chattering. Male may give squeal or growl in late winter or spring; females give a throaty cluck when seeking nests in summer.

»listen to songs of this species

Range

Summer Range

Breeds from central Alaska throughout Canada to western Quebec. Also in scattered localities in Mountain West.

Winter Range

Winters along coasts from Alaska and Nova Scotia southward to Mexico and Florida, and inland across much of the United States.

Habitat

Breeds along freshwater ponds and small lakes, and in forests inhabited by Northern Flickers. Winters in shallow saltwater, or in lakes and rivers.

Detailed Habitat

Aspens and poplars are important sites for nest cavities.

Food

Insects, crustaceans, and mollusks, as well as some seeds.

Behavior

Foraging

Dives for prey and swallows food underwater.

Reproduction

Nest Type

Nest in tree cavity or nest box, lined with downy feathers from chest of female.

Egg Description

am-colored or buff; unmarked.

Clutch Size

Usually 6-11 eggs. Range: 4-17.

Young

Fully covered with down, eyes open. Depart the nest hole by jumping to the ground, usually within 36 hours after hatching.

Conservation Status

In the early 20th century, shooting had reduced Bufflehead population numbers significantly, but between 1955 and 1992, surveys indicate that numbers more than doubled, despite large year-to-year fluctuations.

Other Names

Petit Garrot (French)
Pato chillón chico (Spanish)

Sources used to construct this page:

1. Bellrose, F. C. 1976. Ducks, Geese, and Swans of North America. Stackpole Books, Harrisburg, PA.
2. Gauthier, Gilles. 1993. Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola). In The Birds of North America, No. 67 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.