Redhead

Overview

Redhead: Medium diving duck, 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. Feeds mostly on aquatic vegetation. Rapid direct flight with strong wing beats, flies in V formation.

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.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Redhead was first described in 1838 by Thomas Campbell Eyton, an English naturalist. Females regularly lay eggs in the nests of other Redheads or other ducks, especially Canvasbacks. A group of ducks has many collective nouns, including a "brace", "flush", "paddling", "raft", and "team" of ducks.