Bufflehead

The Bufflehead is the smallest diving duck in North America, a compact, large-headed bird that appears almost oversized in the head relative to its tiny body. The breeding drake is strikingly patterned, with a puffy, iridescent head showing shifting purple and green highlights, dominated by a large white patch that wraps around the back of the head from eye to eye.

Females are much plainer, dusky gray-brown overall with a small, elongated white cheek patch behind the eye. The species' small size, quick wingbeats, and habit of diving frequently make it a distinctive and endearing sight on small ponds and sheltered coastal waters.

Key Field Marks

• Very small size with a disproportionately large, puffy head
• Breeding drake: iridescent purple-and-green head with a large white patch wrapping around the back of the crown, black back, white body
• Female: dusky gray-brown with a small oval white cheek patch
• Fast, low, whirring flight

Similar Species

No other North American duck combines the Bufflehead's tiny size with its large white head patch; the male's bold pattern and the female's small white cheek spot are both distinctive at a glance, and its small size alone typically separates it from all other diving ducks it associates with.

Buffleheads breed across the boreal forest zone of Canada and Alaska, nesting almost exclusively in old Northern Flicker cavities (and occasionally other small woodpecker holes) in trees near small lakes and ponds — their small body size is closely tied to fitting into these relatively narrow cavities. They winter widely across the United States and southern Canada on small lakes, ponds, rivers, and sheltered coastal bays and estuaries.

The species shows strong nest-site fidelity, with females often returning to the same cavity or nearby cavities in subsequent years.

Buffleheads are active diving ducks, feeding on aquatic invertebrates such as insect larvae and small crustaceans, along with small fish and some plant seeds, diving frequently and quickly in short bursts. They are often seen in small groups, diving somewhat asynchronously so that some birds remain on the surface as lookouts.

The voice is generally quiet, with males giving soft, guttural notes during courtship displays and squeaky calls, while females give a harsh, low growl. As an obligate cavity nester dependent on old flicker holes, the female lays 6-11 eggs, and ducklings leap from the nest entrance to the ground shortly after hatching, then are led to water by the female.