This small fluffy fellow is a Bufflehead Duck (Bucephala albeola). They can be found at various times of the year around the entirety of the U.S. and tend to be spotted most often in winter here in the Pacific Northwest (Sibley, 2016). This particular duck was found, rather embarrassingly, at the Oregon Zoo. I am excited to find more of these in the wild as their diving behavior and striking head feather pattern is sure to be a sight to behold. Read on to learn more about the Bufflehead Duck.

       The Bufflehead, notably not called the Wood Duck, reuses the nests built by the Northern Flicker in a small example of commensalism (Gauthier, 1993). Their small size makes these rounded out tree holes an ideal space for nesting, providing both protection and exclusivity.

       Not only is the Bufflehead monogamous (Gauthier, 1993), the couples tend to return to the same nesting sites every year. Their breeding range covers most of the norther middle section of Canada with only a handful of scattered locations in the Norther U.S. (Sibley, 2016).

       I hope to be writing more of these small blurbs about birds in the future and I hope that you can enjoy them! -Best, Ben

Bibliography:

Sibley, D. A. (2016). The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America Second Edition. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group Gauthier, G. (1993). Bufflehead, Bucephala albeola. The Birds of North America. (67), 24 pages.