Species

Redhead

Aythya americana

A round-headed diving duck with a blue bill, which wintering flocks bring to Georgia's reservoirs and coast.

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

At a glance

Size: About 45 to 56 cm long
Weight: About 600 to 1,600 g
Habitat: Lakes, reservoirs and coastal bays in winter
Diet: Leaves, stems and seeds of aquatic plants; some snails and insects
In Georgia: An uncommon winter visitor
Voice: Males give a catlike "meow" in courtship
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Male: Round, rufous-red head; black breast; grey back and sides; blue-grey bill with a white ring and black tip
Female: Plain brown with a paler face and a bluish bill with a dark tip
Told apart from: Canvasback, which has a long sloping forehead, a black bill and a whitish back
Told apart from: Ring-necked duck and scaup, whose males have dark heads
Where to look: With other diving ducks on large reservoirs and coastal waters

Behaviour

Redheads dive for plants, often feeding in shallower water than canvasbacks. Females often lay eggs in other ducks' nests, including those of other redheads and canvasbacks, as well as raising broods of their own.

Why they matter

Much of the world population of redheads winters in the Laguna Madre of Texas and Mexico, where they feed on shoal grass; the birds reaching Georgia are the eastern edge of that winter range. Their dependence on sea-grass and pond-weed beds ties them to clear, healthy water.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A basket of plants over water in dense marsh vegetation
Eggs — Usually 7 to 10; many females also lay in other nests
Incubation — About 23 to 29 days
Ducklings — Leave the nest within a day
Flight — At about eight to ten weeks
Lifespan — Usually a few years; some over twenty

Living around people

Diving ducks need undisturbed open water in winter; heavy boat traffic keeps them from feeding.

Misconceptions

Redheads and canvasbacks are the same duck. They are different species, told apart by head shape and bill colour.

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; pairs forming	Migrating north	Nesting on the northern prairies	Nesting	Ducklings hatching	Adults moulting	Young flying	Migration begins	Moving south	Arriving	Wintering

Where it lives

Recorded in 75 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

Mexico

If you found one

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