What do Buffleheads look like?

What does a full grown bufflehead look like?

Color Pattern Adult male Bufflehead have a white body, black back, and a dark head with a large white patch that wraps around the back of the head. Females and first-year males are gray-brown overall with an oval, white cheek patch.

How big is a bufflehead duck?

Averaging 35.5 cm (14.0 in) and 370 g (13 oz), it rivals the green-winged teal as the smallest American duck. The bufflehead has a wingspan of 21.6 in (55 cm). Adult males are striking black and white, with iridescent green and purple heads and a large white patch behind the eye.

What do buffleheads eat?

Buffleheads forage for aquatic insects, crustaceans, and molluscs by diving staying submerged for about 13 seconds and consuming prey underwater. Small duck with distinctive flight pattern: dark upperparts crossed by white stripes at the shoulder and in the wings. Small duck with large head and single white cheek patch.

What is the difference between a male&female bufflehead duck?

Like most species of ducks, male buffleheads are much more colorful and dramatic than their female counterparts. Males have iridescent feathers and large white patches, while females are primarily dull black. The males have a large patch of white feathers on the back of their rounded head, and iridescent green and purple on their faces.

What is a bufflehead duck?

Small duck with fast wingbeats. In flight, female lacks male’s shoulder stripes and large white wing stripe, but has a smaller white wing patch sometimes visible at rest. Buffleheads perform self-maintenance activities on the water such as preening, stretching, and bathing. Fairly common on lakes, ponds, and coastal waters.

How can you tell a male from a female bufflehead?

Females and first-year males are gray-brown overall with an oval, white cheek patch. In flight adult males have a large white patch on the upperwing; females and first-year males have a smaller white wing patch. Bufflehead dive underwater to catch aquatic invertebrates.

How big does a bufflehead bird get?

crow-sizedMeasurements Both Sexes. Length: 12.6-15.8 in (32-40 cm) Weight: 9.6-22.4 oz (272-635 g) Wingspan: 21.6 in (55 cm) © S. K. Jones | Macaulay Library. Color Pattern Adult male Bufflehead have a white body, black back, and a dark head with a large white patch that wraps around the back of the head.

What is the difference between male and female buffleheads?

Female lacks male’s large white wingstripe, but has a smaller white wing patch sometimes visible at rest. Buffleheads require a running start when taking flight off water, but can achieve this over a shorter distance than most other duck species due to their small size.

Do buffleheads make good pets?

No, buffleheads do not make good pets. The vast majority of them migrate seasonally, and living in one place does not suit them. It is also illegal to own this duck as a pet in most places. In a zoological setting, these ducks often live with other small waterfowl species.

Why are buffleheads important?

These birds are important as both ornamental birds and gamebirds. Bird watchers in particular love to spot these colorful ducks, and thankfully for them buffleheads are quite common. Read on to learn about the bufflehead.

How can you tell a bufflehead duck from a duck?

Washington’s smallest diving duck, the Bufflehead, is easily distinguished from other ducks. The male has a white underside and a dark back that appears black, but upon closer inspection, is actually a deep iridescent greenish-purple.

How can you tell the difference between a male and female Chameleon?

Males are striking black-and white from a distance. A closer look at the head shows glossy green and purple setting off the striking white patch. Females are a subdued gray-brown with a neat white patch on the cheek.

How can you tell if a guinea fowl is a male?

If you only hear a 1-syllable chirp or yelp that sounds like the word “check”, the guinea fowl is a male. A female guinea fowl also makes the same 1-syllable chirp, but it also makes a 2-syllable sound that sounds similar to the word “buckwheat.”

What size nest box do I need for a bufflehead?

Bufflehead are more likely to choose a small box (6 x 6 x 15 inches) with a 2.5-inch-diameter opening than a large box (7 x 7 x 15 inches or bigger) with a larger opening. Find out more about nest boxes on our Attract Birds pages.

How do I attract bufflehead birds to my garden?

Attach a guard to keep predators from raiding eggs and young. Bufflehead are more likely to choose a small box (6 x 6 x 15 inches) with a 2.5-inch-diameter opening than a large box (7 x 7 x 15 inches or bigger) with a larger opening. Find out more about nest boxes on our Attract Birds pages.

What is the difference between a male and female bufflehead?

Female Buffleheads have a white spot on the face that females and nonbreeding male Hooded Mergansers Lack. Male Red-breasted Mergansers lack the white head patch seen on Hooded Mergansers and have a longer, thinner red bill than Hooded Merganser.

What is the difference between a bufflehead and a hooded merganser?

Buffleheads are smaller than Hooded Mergansers. Males have a white belly and sides whereas male Hooded Mergansers have cinnamon sides. Buffleheads are smaller than Hooded Mergansers. Female Buffleheads have a white spot on the face that females and nonbreeding male Hooded Mergansers Lack.

How much does a bufflehead weigh?

Buffleheads are compactly built birds, with males, or drakes, averaging 450 g in weight and females about 340 g. During their migrations they are much heavier, with up to 115 g of stored fat as fuel for their travels. Hunters sometimes call these fat birds “butterballs.”

Can you own a bufflehead as a pet?

Because of this, the IUCN lists this species as Least Concern. Humans have not domesticated buffleheads in any way. No, buffleheads do not make good pets. The vast majority of them migrate seasonally, and living in one place does not suit them. It is also illegal to own this duck as a pet in most places.

How do buffleheads attack intruders?

During the breeding season, territorial birds attack intruders by flying or swimming underwater at them and thrashing at them with their wings. When a pair of Buffleheads intrudes into a nearby territory, the male that owns the territory often chases the intruding female and her mate follows them in hot pursuit.

Why are buffleheads so popular?

Because of their striking plumage, highly active nature, and proximity to humans on waterfront properties, buffleheads are one of the most popular birds amongst bird watchers. The bufflehead, also known as the spirit duck, was added to the coat of arms of the town of Sidney, British Columbia, in 1995.