| The Bufflehead is one of our smallest game ducks. They are a plump little bird that hunters often refer to as "butterballs". The male is mostly white with black back and head that has a greenish sheen toward the front. There is a large white spot from just behind the eyes the covers the back of the head. The males do not attain their adult plumage until their second winter. The female is mostly dark with a small white patch below the eye on the cheek.
The breeding pair will claim an entire wooded pond or lake for itself and the range extends from Alaska throughout most of western Canada to the Great Lakes region and in the mountains in northern Montana. This duck winters in the salty bays and estuaries of the southern United States and along the pacific coast as well as south into Mexico. The Goldeneye Duck competes for the same breeding habitat and usually dominates over the Bufflehead, although a pair of Buffleheads can often expel an unmated Goldeneye from its territory.
Courtship displays are performed by the male, though the female will ignore the displays of drakes without adult plumage. The displays consist of head-bobbing and fluttering flight of the male over the female lowering his head and tail while extending his bright pink feet. The display will end with the upward thrust of the wings common in many ducks. Males will also dive and come up under other competing males and often can be identified by all the splashing that this causes. Buffleheads form long-term bonds and are paired by the time they travel north. Since males outnumber females, many males are left unmated. They show strong site fidelity with the female returning to the place of her birth each year.
A clutch consists of 6 to 12 buff eggs that are laid in an old flicker woodpecker nest or a natural cavity lined with down. Most other ducks cannot use an old flicker nest as they require a larger cavity. The Bufflehead will use nesting boxes when natural sites are unavailable. The eggs are incubated by the female for about 1 month. Once the female begins to incubate the male will leave the area for the molting grounds. The young leave the nest within 2 days and are led to water where they can be protected and cared for until they can fly. Females that do not nest successfully will "prospect" for nesting sites while other females are incubating. About 2 months after hatching the young are able to fly and the female and family will join the male on the molting grounds. During the molt of the flight feathers they are unable to fly but they use this time to build up fat reserves for the long flight south.
The Bufflehead dives for snails, crustaceans, aquatic insects and plants. The dives will last longer in deeper water as most of the food is gleaned from the bottom. When hunting in groups usually one bird will stay on the surface as a sentry as the other birds dive.
The Bufflehead is a rather rare duck, probably because its unique habitat needs preclude it from breeding in many areas. Many of the young are lost if cold, wet weather should occur during the first few weeks after hatching. Others are lost in the dense undergrowth when walking from the nest to the water. Some of the young may be eaten by Northern Pike, however the adults avoid the large lakes or rivers where the Northern Pike is a threat to the adults as well as the young. Their only real predator is hunters, but because of the small size and strong flavor they are not particularly popular with hunter.
Length 13 to 15 inches
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