Bufflehead, Bucephala albeola |
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![]() The smallest North American diving ducks, Bufflehead share the genus Bucephala with Common and Barrow's Goldeneye. All three species winter on lakes and bays in the Bay Area. The striking male Bufflehead in breeding plumage has black upperparts and white underparts, and the head black with bronze, purple and green iridescence set off by an especially large white patch. The name is a contraction of "buffalo-head," based on a supposed resemblance in head shape, with the erectile head feathers playing the role of the bison's shaggy mane. Bufflehead are now known to hybridize with Common Goldeneye, and here is a probable male Bufflehead x Common Goldeneye hybrid. |
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![]() The female Bufflehead is all-brown, with a horizontal white ear-patch, and is noticeably smaller than the already small male. |
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![]() This female shows a glimpse of the white wing-patch; seen in flight, hers would be smaller than that of the flying male further down the page. | |
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![]() In flight, the male Bufflehead, pictured above and below from different angles, shows a gray rump, red legs, and white secondaries and coverts forming an inner wing-patch. | |
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![]() Above and below, a male diving. | |
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