Species

Bufflehead

Bucephala albeola

A tiny, buoyant diving duck with a big white head patch, nesting in old flicker holes far to the north.

Photo Rhododendrites (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

Nesting

At a glance

Size: About 32 to 40 cm long
Weight: About 270 to 550 g
Habitat: Lakes, reservoirs, ponds, tidal creeks and bays
Diet: Insect larvae, snails, small crustaceans and seeds
In Georgia: A fairly common winter visitor, November to March
Voice: Mostly quiet
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Male: Mostly white body; black back; large, puffy head, glossy green and purple, with a big white patch behind the eye
Female: Grey-brown with a white oval patch on the cheek
Told apart from: Hooded merganser, whose male has a fan-shaped white crest edged in black and chestnut sides
Told apart from: Common goldeneye, which is larger with a round white spot in front of the eye
Where to look: Small groups diving on lakes and coastal creeks

Behaviour

Buffleheads dive constantly, popping back to the surface like corks. Small groups often dive together, with one bird staying up as a lookout.

Why they matter

Buffleheads nest almost only in old holes made by northern flickers in boreal forest trees, so a woodpecker's work thousands of kilometres away decides where these ducks can breed. They are one of the smallest ducks in North America and a good example of how closely forest and water are linked.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — An old woodpecker hole, usually a flicker's, in a tree near water
Eggs — Usually 6 to 11
Incubation — About 29 to 31 days
Leaving the nest — Ducklings jump from the hole a day or two after hatching
Flight — At about seven to eight weeks
Lifespan — Wild birds over fifteen years are recorded

Living around people

Small reservoirs and stormwater ponds are enough for wintering buffleheads if they are left undisturbed.

Misconceptions

A duck this small must be a duckling. Buffleheads are fully grown adults.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Wintering	Wintering; courtship displays	Migrating north	Last birds leaving	Nesting in tree holes in the boreal forest	Ducklings hatching	Ducklings growing	Young flying	Adults moulting	Migration begins	Arriving in Georgia	Wintering

Where it lives

Recorded in 74 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

United States

Canada

Mexico

If you found one

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