All birds Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl
Redhead
Aythya americana
Here October to March.
Look for
- Males have a red head and a gray back.
- The head is round, and the bill is short. Look for a pale band near the tip of the bill.
- Females are brown, with a plain face and a round head.
A little about it
Redheads are winter ducks here. You can find them from October to March. They fly here and back in flocks. Listen for a call that sounds like a cat's meow.
A Redhead dives for its food, most often in water just a few feet deep. In very shallow water, it may tip up with its tail in the air instead. It eats mostly the leaves and roots of water plants. In summer it eats lots of water bugs too.
In summer, many Redheads nest in big marshes out on the prairies. The nest is a pile of dead plants over shallow water, lined with soft down. A mom usually lays 9 to 14 eggs. About a day after the babies hatch, she leads them away. They find their own food, and they can fly when they're 60 to 65 days old.
Redhead moms often lay eggs in other birds' nests. They use the nests of at least 10 other kinds of ducks. They've even laid eggs in the nest of a Northern Harrier, a kind of hawk.
Fun fact
Sometimes lots of Redhead moms lay eggs in the same nest, and no one ever sits on them. Nests like that have held up to 87 eggs!
When it's here
- January: here
- February: here
- March: here
- April: a few
- May: a few
- June: a few
- July: a few
- August: not here
- September: a few
- October: here
- November: here
- December: here
Taller bars mean more sightings. Most often seen in March.
How big
17 to 21 inches. About as big as a crow.
Where to look
Big lakes in winter. Look far out on the open water for ducks that dive and pop back up.
People have spotted it at Lake Hefner, Lake Stanley Draper, Lake Overholser.
Could it be something else?
Canvasback
The male also has a red head. But a Canvasback has a long, sloping forehead and a long black bill, and the male's back is white. A Redhead has a round head, a short bill, and a gray back.
Ring-necked Duck
A female Redhead looks a lot like a female Ring-necked Duck. The ring-neck is grayer, with a peak on top of her head. The ring on her bill is easier to see.
More photos
Where these facts come from
- Audubon Guide to North American Birds
- When it's here: Sightings shared on iNaturalist in the 8 counties, all years.