Bufflehead
Bucephala albeola
The bufflehead is a small, chunky, energetic diving duck. It varies in color and pattern depending on its sex:
- Male buffleheads are mostly white with a black back. They have a glossy, greenish-black head with a large white "bonnet" or patch on the back. In flight, they show a large white wing patch.
- Female buffleheads have a grayish-brown head, back and wings. Their chest is white, and they have a small white cheek spot and white patch on the wings.
Buffleheads grow to about 15 inches, with a wingspan of about 24 inches.
Where does the bufflehead live?
Buffleheads winter on the Bay's open waters and lakes, ponds and rivers in the Bay watershed.
- Small groups of buffleheads begin to arrive to the Bay in October, peaking in November.
- Between mid-April and May, buffleheads migrate back to their breeding grounds in Canada, Alaska and the northern continental United States.
- Buffleheads prefer waters that are 4 to 15 feet deep.
What does the bufflehead eat?
Buffleheads feed on a variety of plants and animals, including:
What does the bufflehead sound like?
Male buffleheads make hoarse, rolling sounds, while the female's call is a harsh quack.
Where does the bufflehead nest and breed?
Buffleheads leave the Bay watershed in late spring for their northern breeding grounds.
- Bufflehead pairs nest in tree cavities that are formed by woodpeckers.
- During the breeding season, the female bufflehead lays one egg each morning for one to two weeks, usually laying a total of eight to 10 eggs.
- Once she begins the four-week incubation period, the male leaves the nest to spend the summer at a bufflehead molting ground.
- After the ducklings hatch, they take about seven to eight weeks to learn how to fly.
- The male bufflehead then reunites with the female and their ducklings.
Other facts about the bufflehead:
- Buffleheads are constantly moving, either swimming along the surface of the water or bobbing underneath in search of food.
- Unlike most other diving ducks, which patter across the water before taking off, buffleheads fly straight up from the water.