Redhead (Aythya americana)

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Image of a Redhead duck
Birds Duck Redhead

Introduction

The Redhead (Aythya americana) is a medium-sized North American diving duck in the family Anatidae. It is best known for the male’s rounded cinnamon-red head, black breast and pale grey body. Redheads breed mainly in the Prairie Pothole Region and other wetland landscapes of western and central North America, then migrate to lakes, reservoirs, coastal bays and marshes for winter.

Physical Description

Redheads are compact, deep-bodied diving ducks measuring approximately 42–54 cm in length, with a wingspan of about 75–79 cm. They have a rounded head, a blue-grey bill with a black tip and a relatively short tail.

The adult male in breeding plumage has a rich cinnamon-red head and neck, a black chest and upper back, and pale grey flanks and back. His eyes are yellow to orange-yellow. In flight, the wings show pale grey upper surfaces that contrast with darker areas of the wing.

Females are predominantly warm brown, with a paler face, a darker eye-line and a greyish bill. Juveniles resemble females but are generally duller and more uniformly brown. Males in eclipse plumage may also appear less strongly marked than fully coloured breeding males.

Range and Habitat

The Redhead breeds exclusively in North America. Its principal breeding range extends across the Prairie Pothole Region of Canada and the northern United States, with additional breeding areas in parts of the western United States and Alaska. It favours shallow, permanent or semi-permanent freshwater wetlands with emergent vegetation, including prairie ponds, marshes and reedy lakes.

During migration, Redheads use larger lakes, reservoirs, rivers and wetlands. In winter, many move to the southern United States and Mexico, where they occur on freshwater lakes, coastal marshes, sheltered bays, estuaries and shallow marine waters. The Laguna Madre system along the Texas and northern Mexican coasts is particularly important, and large wintering rafts may also occur on inland lakes and reservoirs.

Breeding habitat is generally associated with open, non-forested landscapes and a combination of open water, submerged plants and emergent cover. The species can use managed wetlands and impoundments, although the quality and availability of natural wetland habitat remain important to its life cycle.

Behaviour and Diet

Redheads are social ducks that often gather in mixed flocks with Canvasbacks, scaups, Ring-necked Ducks and other waterfowl. They commonly rest in groups on open water and may form large wintering rafts. Feeding activity often increases in shallower water during the morning and evening, while birds may spend much of the day resting on deeper water.

Although Redheads are diving ducks, they also feed by tipping up, dabbling and reaching beneath the surface in shallow wetlands. Their diet includes submerged aquatic plants, tubers, seeds and other vegetation, together with aquatic insects, molluscs, crustaceans and other invertebrates. Animal food is especially important during the breeding season and for developing ducklings, while plant material forms a large part of the diet at other times of year.

Redheads are notable for facultative brood parasitism. Some females lay eggs in the nests of other Redheads and other waterfowl, particularly Canvasbacks, rather than incubating all of their eggs themselves. Females that build their own nests usually place floating platforms of vegetation among cattails, sedges, bulrushes or other emergent plants. A typical nest clutch contains about 7–10 eggs, although additional parasitic eggs may be laid in the nests of other birds. Incubation lasts approximately 24–28 days and is carried out by the female. Ducklings are precocial, leaving the nest soon after hatching and remaining under the female’s protection while they develop.

Identification Tips

  • Look for a medium-sized diving duck with a distinctly rounded head and a blue-grey, black-tipped bill.
  • Adult males have a cinnamon-red head, black chest and pale grey body. The head often appears smoothly rounded rather than peaked.
  • Females and juveniles are brown overall, but retain the species’ rounded head profile and two-toned bill.
  • Canvasbacks are a useful comparison. The male Canvasback has a more wedge-shaped head and a longer, darker bill, whereas the male Redhead has a rounder forehead and a more compact profile.
  • Greater and Lesser Scaup may occur in the same flocks. They usually show a darker head and different head shape, while female Redheads are warmer brown and have a more evident pale facial area.
  • Ring-necked Ducks can also be confused with female Redheads, but Ring-necked Ducks usually show a more peaked head, a narrower bill with a pale ring and stronger white flank markings.
  • In winter, habitat and flock behaviour can help. Redheads often occur in sizeable rafts on open water, coastal bays and large inland lakes.

Conservation Status

The Redhead is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Available monitoring does not indicate a single uniform trend across the whole range. Some continental and regional assessments report stable or increasing numbers over longer periods, while shorter-term declines and regional fluctuations have also been recorded.

Important pressures include the loss, drainage and degradation of breeding wetlands, drought, changing water conditions, disturbance and the degradation of wintering habitats. Because many Redheads concentrate in a relatively small number of important coastal and inland sites during winter, local habitat changes can affect substantial portions of the population.

Conservation measures include protecting prairie wetlands and coastal lagoons, restoring drained or degraded wetlands, maintaining emergent vegetation and managing water levels appropriately. Continental waterfowl surveys, regulated harvest management and wetland conservation programmes help guide population monitoring and habitat protection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does the Redhead live?

The Redhead breeds mainly in prairie and wetland regions of Canada and the northern United States, with additional breeding areas farther west. It winters across the southern United States and Mexico in freshwater wetlands, reservoirs, coastal marshes and sheltered bays.

How can you identify a male Redhead?

An adult male has a rounded cinnamon-red head, a black chest, pale grey flanks and back, a blue-grey bill with a black tip and yellow to orange-yellow eyes.

What does the Redhead eat?

Its diet includes submerged aquatic plants, tubers, seeds and other vegetation, as well as aquatic insects, molluscs, crustaceans and other invertebrates. The proportion of animal food is often higher during breeding.

Do Redheads lay eggs in other birds’ nests?

Yes. Some females practise facultative brood parasitism by laying eggs in the nests of other Redheads and other waterfowl, especially Canvasbacks. Females also build and incubate their own nests.

How long do Redhead eggs take to hatch?

Incubation usually lasts about 24–28 days and is carried out by the female. Ducklings leave the nest soon after hatching and are guided and protected by the female.

Is the Redhead endangered?

No. The species is currently classified as Least Concern globally. It nevertheless depends on the protection and restoration of wetlands throughout its breeding and wintering range.

References

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