# Bufflehead (*Bucephala albeola*) The Bufflehead is a small, colorful duck known for its striking black and white feathers. They love to dive underwater to find tasty food like small fish and insects. - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 8 - **Habitat:** Wetlands ![Bufflehead](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Bucephala-albeola-010.jpg&width=800) Photo: Mdf, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bucephala-albeola-010.jpg) ## Appearance The Bufflehead is a small, compact diving duck known for its striking black and white plumage. Males have a puffy, iridescent purple-green head with a prominent triangular white patch behind the eye. Females are dusky grey-brown with a distinct white cheek spot. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Anseriformes - **Family:** Anatidae - **Genus:** Bucephala ## Interesting facts - Buffleheads are North America's smallest diving ducks, weighing less than a soda can! - Ducklings leap from their tree-hole nests, sometimes 10 feet high, hours after hatching! - Male Buffleheads perform a funny head-pumping courtship display to attract a mate. - These ducks often reuse the same tree-hole nests each year for their ducklings. ## Special abilities - **Underwater Acrobat:** Bufflehead can dive quickly and expertly underwater, using its powerful webbed feet to chase prey with agility. - **Feathered Flipper:** Bufflehead has dense bones and small wings that help them dive effortlessly and swim deep in search of food. - **Cavity Nester:** Bufflehead can nest in old woodpecker holes, a unique adaptation that provides safe, elevated shelter for their young. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 32-40 cm - **Wingspan:** 42-55 cm - **Weight:** 0.27-0.6 kg - **Lifespan:** 1.5-12 years - **Speed:** 77 km/h - **Clutch Size:** 8-10 - **Incubation:** 29-31 days - **Migration Distance:** 3500 km ## Diet & Feeding Buffleheads mainly eat small aquatic insects and crustaceans they find underwater. - **Age differences:** Young ducklings eat mostly insects, while adults have a more varied diet. - **Primary Foods:** aquatic insect larvae, crustaceans, small mollusks, fish eggs, small fish - **Foraging Method:** Pursuit ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** [Bald Eagle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/bald-eagle) (*Haliaeetus leucocephalus*) — Adult Buffleheads can be prey for large raptors like eagles. - **Eaten by:** [North American River Otter](https://www.snappit.app/explore/north-american-river-otter) (*Lontra canadensis*) — Otters may prey on Buffleheads, especially during winter. - **Eaten by:** [Northern Pike](https://www.snappit.app/explore/northern-pike) (*Esox lucius*) — Large fish can sometimes catch diving Bufflehead ducklings or adults. - **Eats:** [Emperor Dragonfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/emperor-dragonfly) (*Anax imperator*) — Buffleheads feed on the larvae of various aquatic insects, like dragonflies. ## Traits - [Feathered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/feathered): Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers. - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Filter Feeder](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/filter-feeder): Filter feeders obtain nutrients by straining suspended food particles and small organisms from water. - [Insectivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/insectivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates. - [Piscivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/piscivorous): Piscivorous organisms are animals that primarily subsist on a diet of fish. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. - [Migratory](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/migratory): Migratory animals undertake seasonal movements from one region to another, typically in response to changes in climate or food availability. ## Collections - [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/birds) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always watch birds from a distance and don't try to touch them. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Bufflehead? Compare the silhouette, bill shape, tail length, wing bars and markings around the eyes. The same small brown bird at your feeder can look quite different in breeding plumage, winter plumage or its first year. Bird Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Bufflehead? 32-40 cm ### What is Bufflehead's wingspan? 42-55 cm ### How much does Bufflehead weigh? 0.27-0.6 kg ### How long does Bufflehead live? 1.5-12 years ### How fast can Bufflehead move? 77 km/h ### What does Bufflehead eat? Buffleheads mainly eat small aquatic insects and crustaceans they find underwater. ### Where is Bufflehead usually found? Wetlands ## Where to spot - [Chestnut Street District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/chestnut-street-district) — Massachusetts, US · Historic District - [Eden Landing Ecological Reserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/eden-landing-ecological-reserve) — California, US · Nature Reserve - [Fort Monroe National Monument](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/fort-monroe-national-monument) — Virginia, US · National Park - [McClellan Creek National Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/mcclellan-creek-national-grassland) — Texas, US · National Park - [Squantum Point Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/squantum-point-park) — Massachusetts, US · Nature Reserve - [The Fan](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/the-fan) — Virginia, US · Neighborhood [View all places to see Bufflehead](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/bufflehead) ## More Birds - [Black-crowned Night Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-crowned-night-heron) (*Nycticorax nycticorax*) - [Anna's Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/annas-hummingbird) (*Calypte anna*) - [Great Egret](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-egret) (*Ardea alba*) - [Blue Jay](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-jay) (*Cyanocitta cristata*) --- Source: [Bufflehead: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/bufflehead)