Bird name:

Redhead

Aythya americana

Order

ANSERIFORMES

Family

Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)

Code 4

REDH

Code 6

AYTAME

ITIS

175125

Breeding Location:

Lakes, Marshes

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Brood parasite

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Pale olive, buff or dull white

Number of Eggs:

9 - 14

Incubation Days:

23 - 29

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Grass lined with down.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

Redhead: Medium-sized diving duck with gray back and sides, black upper back, breast, rump, and tail, and white belly. Head and neck are rufous-brown, and blue-gray bill is black-tipped; eyes are yellow. Female is pale brown overall with gray-brown back and belly; bill is gray with a black tip. Juvenile resembles female. Eclipse male is similar to breeding male but is much duller.

Range and Habitat

Redhead: Breeds in the northern prairies of the U.S. and Canada and intermountain marshes of the west. Spends winters mostly in Texas and Mexico. Nests in marshes, open lakes, and bays; often winters on saltwater.

Breeding and Nesting

Redhead: Nine to fourteen pale olive, buff, or dull white eggs are laid in a shallow cup of plant material lined with down, built in tall vegetation near water. Incubation ranges from 23 to 29 days and is carried out by the female. Sometimes lays eggs in nests of other waterbirds.

Foraging and Feeding

Redhead: Feeds on seeds, rhizomes, and tubers of pondweeds, wild celery, water lilies, grass, and wild rice; also eats mollusks, aquatic insects, and small fish; forages by diving from the water surface.

Vocalization

Redhead: Utters a cat-like "whee-uogh" or "keyair." Also makes a low, trilling "rrrrr."

Similar Species

Redhead: Canvasback is larger and has dark bill.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Rump

The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America