Redhead

Overview

The redhead (Aythya americana) is a medium-sized diving duck belonging to the genus Aythya. It is a member of the Anatidae family and forms a sister group with the common pochard.

Identification

• Male breeding plumage features a copper-colored head and neck, a black breast, grey back and sides, and a white belly.
• Males have a pale blue bill with a black tip separated by a thin ring, and distinctive yellow eyes.
• Females have a yellow to brown head and neck, a brown breast, and a slate bill with a dark tip separated by a blue ring.
• Body length ranges from 40–56 cm with a wingspan of 74–84 cm; legs are placed far back on the body, making walking on land difficult.

Habitat

Redheads breed in small, semipermanent wetlands in nonforested country with deep water and dense emergent vegetation. Wintering populations prefer large coastal areas protected from wave action, as well as reservoirs, lakes, freshwater river deltas, and estuaries. Their range spans from Northern Canada during the breeding season to the Caribbean, Mexico, and the Bahamas in winter.

Diet

Redheads forage underwater using broad bills and consume a mix of plant and animal materials. During the breeding season, they eat as much animal matter as possible, including gastropods, mollusks, and insect larvae, alongside some emergent vegetation. In winter, their diet shifts primarily to plant material such as pondweeds, wild rice, wild celery, bulrushes, and shoal grass.

Did you know?

Redheads engage in brood parasitism, laying their eggs in the nests of other pochard species such as the canvasback and ring-necked duck, which reduces the hatching success of the host's own eggs. Younger, less experienced females are particularly prone to this behaviour.