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Bufflehead

Bucephala albeola ORDER: ANSERIFORMES FAMILY: ANATIDAE

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

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The smallest diving duck in North America, the Bufflehead breeds in ponds and small lakes in Canada, and winters in much of the United States. It nests in tree cavities as well as in nest boxes.

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Calls

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  • Courtesy of Macaulay Library
    © Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Usually silent. Courtship display includes guttural chattering. Male may give squeal or growl in late winter or spring; females give a throaty cluck when seeking nests in summer.

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Search the Macaulay Library online archive for more sounds and videos