Species: Bucephala albeola

Bufflehead
Species
    Kingdom
    Animalia
    Phylum
    Craniata
    Class

    Aves

    Order

    Anseriformes

    Family

    Anatidae

    Genus

    Bucephala

    Classification
    Other Global Common Names
    Pato Monja - petit garrot
    Informal Taxonomy
    Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Waterfowl
    Formal Taxonomy
    Animalia - Craniata - Aves - Anseriformes - Anatidae - Bucephala
    Short General Description
    A bird (duck).
    Migration
    false - false - true - Migrates northward February-April. Begins moving southward from October into November.
    Non-migrant
    false
    Locally Migrant
    false
    Food Comments
    In fresh water feeds on aquatic insects, snails, amphipods, small fishes, and some aquatic plants. In salt water eats crustaceans, molluscs, fishes, and some aquatic plants. Often feeds in small groups, diving or watching for danger.
    Reproduction Comments
    Breeding begins mid-May in south to early June in north (Harrison 1978). Clutch size 6-11 (avg. 7-9). Incubation 28-33 days, by female (Terres 1980). In British Columbia, mean hatching date is mid- to late June (Savard et al. 1991). Young tended by female, fly 50-55 days after hatching. First breeds at 2 yr.
    Ecology Comments
    Usually seen in small groups of twos or threes. Female strongly defends brood territory. In British Columbia, breeding density not limited by nest sites but rather by territorial behavior (Gauthier and Smith 1987); also, may be excluded from some ponds at high Barrow's goldeneye densities (Savard et al. 1991).
    Length
    34
    Weight
    473
    NatureServe Global Status Rank
    G5
    Global Status Last Reviewed
    1996-11-21
    Global Status Last Changed
    1996-11-21
    Other Status

    LC - Least concern

    Conservation Status Map
    <img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.AB=S5&CA.BC=S5&CA.LB=__&CA.MB=S4&CA.NB=__&CA.NF=__&CA.NT=S5&CA.NS=__&CA.ON=S4&CA.PE=__&CA.QC=S4&CA.SK=S5&CA.YT=S3&US.AL=__&US.AK=S5&US.AZ=__&US.AR=__&US.CA=SNR&US.CO=S1&US.CT=__&US.DE=__&US.DC=__&US.FL=__&US.GA=S5&US.ID=S4&US.IL=__&US.IN=__&US.IA=__&US.KS=__&US.KY=__&US.LA=__&US.ME=__&US.MD=__&US.MA=__&US.MI=__&US.MN=SNR&US.MS=__&US.MO=__&US.MT=S5&US.NN=__&US.NE=__&US.NV=__&US.NH=__&US.NJ=__&US.NM=__&US.NY=__&US.NC=__&US.ND=S4&US.OH=__&US.OK=__&US.OR=S2&US.PA=__&US.RI=__&US.SC=__&US.SD=S1&US.TN=__&US.TX=__&US.UT=__&US.VT=__&US.VA=__&US.WA=S4&US.WV=__&US.WI=__&US.WY=S2" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
    Global Range
    H - >2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles) - H - BREEDING: central Alaska, Mackenzie Delta, northern Prairie Provinces, northern Ontario, south to northern Washington, northern Montana; locally south to the mountains of Oregon, northern California, and northern Colorado (Andrews and Righter 1992). NON-BREEDING: Aleutians, Alaska Peninsula, Great Lakes, New Brunswick and Newfoundland, south to Baja California, mainland Mexico, Gulf Coast, Florida; occasionally in Hawaii. The most abundant wintering populations include those around Vancouver Island, along the Atlantic coast from the Bay of Fundy to Chesapeake Bay, and in northern California-southern Oregon, Mississippi, eastern New Mexico (Root 1988).
    Global Range Code
    H
    Global Range Description
    >2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
    ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104714