Creature Feature: Bufflehead
The smallest diving ducks in North America, Bufflehead, are plump, compact waterbirds not much bigger than a crow. From November to April, you might spy them wintering in shallow bays, lagoons, and other sheltered areas of the Salish Sea. They may even take a trip to your pond.
A couple of male buffleheads cruising the shore. Males have the stark white bellies and head patches. Photo by Gary Yankech
Bison-heads?
Bufflehead males are easily identified by their striking black-and-white appearance. Upon a closer look, however, their heads are a shimmery, greenish-purple with a large white patch behind the eye. Females are greyish-brown with a light underside and small, white cheek patches. Some clever naturalist called these cute ducks bufflehead because they have large, puffy heads, like American buffalo (bison). We don’t really see the resemblance to bison, but do agree their heads are striking.
Their scientific name, Bucephala albeola, refers to another large-headed, hoofed animal, the ox. Bucephala means ‘ox-headed’ and albeola means ‘white’. They belong to the waterbird family Bucephala along with Common and Barrow’s Goldeneyes - fellow Salish Sea winter visitors!
A flock of bufflehead, 3 males and 3 females, resting between team dives. Photo by Kevin Dwyer
Diving and dabbling
Bufflehead eat a variety of aquatic invertebrates, from shrimp and mussels in saltwater to insect larvae and snails in freshwater. They occasionally eat plant matter in fall and winter, proving that even ducks remember to eat their vegetables.
To nab quick critters like crabs, bufflehead make short, powerful dives lasting 12 to 25 seconds. With their feathers tucked tightly to their body, they leap bill-first into the water, plunge down to catch their prey, and swallow it before surfacing.
Sometimes all the Bufflehead in a small flock will dive together. Perfecting the skill clearly takes time and practice, as bufflehead ducklings dabble (feed along the surface) before attempting to dive.
A flicker (a type of woodpecker) visits its nest cavity, which may one day be re-purposed by a bufflehead pair. Photo by Dave Peters
Flicker of friendship
Bufflehead have an unusual dependence on birds in the woodpecker family. Bufflehead are cavity nesters, and they love using old tree holes expertly excavated by Northern flickers. Occasionally, they will occupy holes dug by pileated woodpeckers or use nest boxes.
Some female Bufflehead scope out potential nesting cavities a year in advance. When summer breeding season comes around, they make secretive visits to these cavities with their mate before choosing one in which to lay their 6-12 eggs. A pair may use the same cavity for many years.
Like finding an affordable apartment in Seattle or Vancouver, securing the perfect nesting spot requires a keen eye and competitive spirit.
Conservation
After summer breeding season ends, bufflehead in the western US migrate to the Pacific Coast, and those breeding in Canada migrate in multiple directions. As such, bufflehead are one of many bird species that benefit from the US Migratory Bird Treaty Act and US-Canada Migratory Bird Convention.
After these protections were passed in the early 20th century, bufflehead increased from low numbers (due to over-hunting) to over 1.4 million birds in 1992. With hunting regulations in place, bufflehead populations vary but are overall stable.
Current threats to bufflehead include habitat destruction - remember, they need trees for nesting - and climate change, which threatens to shift and reduce their range. Setting up elevated boxes with 2-3 inch diameter holes (in suitable habitat!) can help provide artificial nesting sites for bufflehead.
Bufflehead in flight. Photo by Seabamirum
A Salish Sea winter haiku:
gray skies and wild sea
to a sheltered Salish shore
Bufflehead take wing!
By Lizzy Ashley