Redhead

About

A medium-sized diving duck. Males have a rounded rufous-red head, black breast and rear, and grey body; females are brown. Highly parasitic breeder—females frequently lay eggs in other ducks' nests. Found across North America. Winters on large bays and coastal waters.

Physical Description

Measurement	Value	Imperial
Wingspan	43.7 cm	17.2 in
Weight	1055.0 g	37.21 oz

Identification

Plumage

Males have rounded rufous-red head; black breast and undertail; pale gray body. Blue-gray bill with white ring and black tip. Red eye. Females brown with paler face. Rounder head than Canvasback. Dimorphic.

Habitat & Range

Breeds on prairie marshes and potholes in western North America. Winters on large bays, coastal waters, lakes, and reservoirs across the southern United States and Mexico. Large concentrations on Laguna Madre, Texas.

🏖️ Coastal 🌿 Wetland

Geographic Range

Breeds in boreal and temperate North America; winters from southern Canada to northern South America along both coasts.

Diet & Feeding

Dives for molluscs, crustaceans, and aquatic invertebrates in shallow coastal water; hard-shelled benthic prey dominates diet.

Conservation Status

Least Concern

IUCN Red List

Behavior & Breeding

Nesting

Nest type: HC. Incubation: 23-29 days. Fledging: 56-73 days.

Clutch Size

7-14

Sound

Song

Male gives a low, mewing may-heah call; female produces a purring, rolled quacking. The mewing, nasal call is unlike any other North American duck; flocks create a cat-like chorus.

Taxonomy

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Aves
Order	Anseriformes (Waterfowl)
Family	Anatidae (Ducks, Geese & Swans)
Genus	Aythya
Species	Aythya americana

Distribution

Redhead has been recorded in 8 countries.

{# Distribution Map — simplified SVG world map with highlighted countries. Expects `country_codes` variable: list of ISO alpha-2 codes (e.g. ["US", "CA", "MX"]). Uses Alpine.js to toggle classes on country paths. #}

Present Not recorded

countries highlighted

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇫🇷 France 🇩🇪 Germany 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇺🇸 United States

External Databases

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Redhead eat?

Dives for molluscs, crustaceans, and aquatic invertebrates in shallow coastal water; hard-shelled benthic prey dominates diet.

Where does the Redhead live?

Breeds on prairie marshes and potholes in western North America. Winters on large bays, coastal waters, lakes, and reservoirs across the southern United States and Mexico. Large concentrations on Laguna Madre, Texas.

Is the Redhead endangered?

The Redhead has a conservation status of Least Concern.

How does the Redhead nest?

Nest type: HC. Incubation: 23-29 days. Fledging: 56-73 days.

What does the Redhead sound like?

Male gives a low, mewing may-heah call; female produces a purring, rolled quacking. The mewing, nasal call is unlike any other North American duck; flocks create a cat-like chorus.

How big is the Redhead?

The Redhead has a wingspan of 43.7 cm, weight of 1055.0 g.

What order and family does the Redhead belong to?

The Redhead (Aythya americana) belongs to the order Anseriformes and the family Anatidae.