Bufflehead
(Bucephala albeola)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Biology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
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| IUCN Red List | LC - Least Concern |
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| NatureServe | N5B, N5N - Secure Breeding and Nonbreeding SNRB - Unranked Breeding |
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| Minnesota | not listed |
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Description |
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The male has a large, white, wedge-shaped patch on the back of the head. |
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Size |
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13″ to 5″ in length 21″ wingspan |
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Voice |
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Similar Species |
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| Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) white crest is bordered with black. | ||
Habitat |
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Open water of lakes, ponds, rivers |
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Biology |
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Migration |
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Early March to mid-May and early October to early December |
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Nesting |
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Food |
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Distribution |
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Occurrence |
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Common migrant, very rare breeder |
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Maps |
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The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map |
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Taxonomy |
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| Class | Aves (birds) | ||
Order |
Anseriformes (waterfowl) | ||
Family |
Anatidae (ducks, geese, and swans) | ||
| Subfamily | Anatinae (dabbling ducks) | ||
Genus |
Bucephala (goldeneyes and bufflehead) | ||
Synonyms |
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Glaucionetta albeola |
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Visitor Photos |
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Share your photo of this bird. |
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| This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Attach one or more photos and, if you like, a caption. |
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Ramona Abrego |
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Kathleen Coghill |
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In my backyard, sorry for the crummy quality. |
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Ted Zempel |
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Wayne Rasmussen |
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Buffleheads spotted in Maplewood Hts Park in April of 2014 |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Slideshows |
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| Bufflehead Ed McVicker |
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| Bufflehead JMC Nature Photos |
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| Bufflehead Joshua Mayer |
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About
Bucephala albeola |
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Visitor Videos |
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Share your video of this bird. |
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| This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link. |
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Other Videos |
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| Buffleheads at Sachuest Point - November 30, 2013 Don Gagnon |
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About
Published on Dec 1, 2013 Buffleheads (Bucephala albeola), near Flint Rock Loop, Sachuset Point National Wildlife Refuge, Middletown, Rhode Island, Saturday afternoon, November 30, 2013, 10:52 AM / 10:53 AM / 10:54 AM - Canon PowerShot SX50 HS MVI_57797 / MVI_57798 / MVI_57800; 1:02 min |
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| Bufflehead (Anatidae: Bucephala albeola) Male and Female Carl Barrentine |
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About
Uploaded on Apr 2, 2010 A pair of Bufflehead ducks forage in the open water at Kellys Slough NWR, North Dakota (on 02 April 2010). |
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| Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) RÜZGAR YELİ |
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About
Published on Apr 7, 2013 Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) |
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| The Bufflehead Show peasant1 |
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About
Uploaded on Feb 5, 2010 30 seconds of an active male diving around the Mallards at Chicago's North Pond. It was snowing. Movie taken with a Panasonic FZ35. |
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| Buffleheads wetvideocamera |
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About
Published on Mar 20, 2012 Buffleheads are the smallest type of diving duck found in the Pacific Northwest. They are quite territorial especially when with a mate. They will drive away other buffleheads either by chasing on the surface or launching submarine attacks beneath the surface of the water. ( Bucephala albeola ) Burnaby Lake Regional Park March 20, 2012 |
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Visitor Sightings |
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Report a sighting of this bird. |
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| This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Be sure to include a location. |
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| Eileen 3/24/2021 |
Location: Waconia I see 5 this morning on the pond in Waconia. |
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| Kathleen Coghill 4/21/2020 |
Location: Lino Lakes, MN In my backyard, sorry for the crummy quality. |
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| Bob Hefferan 4/13/2020 |
Location: Big Sauk Lake, Mn (south end). Have seen at least 5 Bufflehead in the last couple of days. |
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| Peter Provost 4/6/2020 (time: 5:00 pm) |
Location: Pine Bend trailhead Main Pond NW- Inver Grove Heights One mating pair diving in pond near a mating pair of Mallards |
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| Deb Potz 4/5/2020 |
Location: Oak Grove, MN Two males in pond out back. First time in the three years living here. Kept pretty far out, but still fun to watch frequent diving and resurfacing. |
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| Ramona Abrego 5/10/2019 |
Location: Becker County |
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| Ramona Abrego 5/7/2019 |
Location: Becker County |
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| Ted Zempel 4/18/2019 |
Location: Linwood west of Stacy, MN |
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| Andrew Mason 4/16/2019 |
Location: Blaine, MN |
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| Christopher 4/30/2018 |
Location: Wyoming, MN 2 males and 2 females on the pond every evening since ice out. |
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| Wayne Rasmussen 4/20/2014 |
Location: Maplewood Heights Park Buffleheads spotted in Maplewood Hts Park in April of 2014 |
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| Dianne 4/2/2016 |
Location: North Long Lake, Merrifield MN |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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