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Redhead
Photos by Bruce
Dayton
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ORDER:
Anseriformes
FAMILY: Anatidae (Ducks and Geese - 52 Species)
SUB-FAMILY:
Anatinae
SPECIES:
Redhead (Aythya americana)
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Redhead |
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After filling her own nest with eggs, the female Redhead often continues to lay eggs in the nests of other Redheads and other duck species (dump nesting). Loss of nesting habitat has led to sharply declining populations. |
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SIZE |
The Redhead is a medium-sized (18-22”) diving duck. |
| DESCRIPTION | Male:
Has
a brick-red head and neck, yellow eyes and a black tipped, blue-gray bill. They have
a gray back with a black breast.
Female: Has a Brown head and body with a black tipped, blue-gray bill.. |
| NESTING | Clutch size ranges from 9-15 eggs, which are incubated in 25 to 30 days. Nest is a shallow cup of rushes or cattails atop matted dead aquatic vegetation, sparsely lined with down in a concealed area. |
| RANGE | Breeds in Alaska, southwest Canada and parts of the United States, including the Great Lakes area. |
| HABITAT | Redheads habitat lakes, bays, ponds and marshes. |
| DIET | They forage by diving or dabbling, aquatic plants, stems, seeds and occasionally aquatic insects, snails and mollusks. |
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| Redhead | |
| Montezuma
National Wildlife Refuge Seneca County, New York |
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| Rdhd_078A_024251 | Rdhd_078A_506706 |
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| Rdhd_078A_024248 | |
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| Rdhd_078A_021146 | Rdhd_078A_024399 |
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Redhead Drawing by Louis Agassiz Fuertes |
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| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Diving Duck |
| Any duck that obtains its food by diving to the bottom in deep water rather than by dabbling. Some of the more common ones are the Canvasback, Redhead, Lesser Scaup, Greater Scaup, Scoters, and Ring-necked Duck. |
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Please email with any ideas or comments concerning this web page. |
| The images on this web page are copyrighted © 2003 - 2007 by Bruce Dayton. I want to share my photos to promote conservation and to help people identify and learn about the birds and other creatures that live with us on the North American continent. Please do not use any of my work in any non-profit or for-profit project without first getting written permission from me. You can ask for permission by emailing me at webmaster@wildlifeofnorthamerica.info. All reproductions must bear an appropriate credit. |
NOTE: This site will be updated as time and pictures become available.
Visit Mammals of North America
Redhead ( Aythya americana
Updated 10-23-2008
