Bufflehead Ducks and Bobblehead Ducks

Known for their large heads and iridescent feathers, the bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) is one of the smallest diving ducks in North America. They are black and white from a distance, but close up they show iridescent green and purple setting off a large white patch on the head. These ducks nest in old woodpecker holes from western Quebec to Alaska. They spend winters bobbing in ponds, estuaries, reservoirs, and lakes.

During courtship, male buffleheads use their head to attract potential females by rapidly bobping it up and down. This behavior gives them their nickname: “buffalo heads.”

Like other seaducks, buffleheads are among the most punctual migrator in the waterfowl world, arriving on their wintering grounds within a very narrow window of time. However, they are also one of the most vulnerable species due to habitat degradation on their wintering grounds and boreal breeding grounds.

The smallest of the diving or sea ducks, they can be hard to find. Look for them on sheltered coastal coves or on inland ponds in the east and west coast of Canada and the southern United States, as well as in freshwater marshes. They are the only seaduck that forages underwater, staying submerged for up to 13 seconds and consuming food whole.

Orange Ducks fan Derrick Johnson traveled to Minnesota for the NHL All-Star game last February and came home with much more than an autograph or a selfie with his favorite players. He left with a larger-than-life bobblehead of Ducks forward Teemu Selanne, which raised more than $7,400 for Hockey Fights Cancer.