Redheads by Redheads
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Hope I've got the identification of this Duck correct. Let me know if I made a mistake.
Male Redheads are a dapper mixture of cinnamon head, black breast and tail, and neat gray body. Females and immatures are a plain, mostly uniform brown. Redheads have black-tipped, gray bills, and in flight they show gray flight feathers.
Redheads flock together on lakes and other bodies of water but migrate in pairs, which are formed in December or January through elaborate courtship rituals. Unpaired redheads migrate together in a “courting party” that can be up to 25 individuals strong, enabling them to find a mate within the group.
The pair bonds are established yearly through a long courtship process. Males begin this process through neck-kinking and head throwing displays while emitting a cat-like call. If interested, the female produces inciting calls towards the male while performing alternate lateral and chin lifting movements. The male then swims ahead of her and turns the back of his head towards the female. Once courtship is finished, the two birds are paired for the year. The male initiates copulation by alternating bill dipping and preening dorsally towards the female, upon which the female may return to the male.
Redheads breed mainly in seasonal wetlands such as the prairie pothole region of the Midwest. In migration and winter they group into large flocks on the Gulf Coast, as well as along the Great Lakes and in lakes, reservoirs, bays, and along coastlines across the southern U.S.
(Nikon Z8, 500/5.6, 1/500 @ f5.6, ISO 560, edited to taste)
The Redhead (Aythya americana) is an attractive diving duck. Males have a brown head and a grey back. The head is brighten up during breeding season, hence the common name. Females are less showy in a pale brown dress. My understanding that these are not regular visitors to the UK, though they feel at home here at Slimbridge WWT. Gloucestershire; England; UK.
Thank you for your visit, comments and favours, very much appreciated.
Thanks John Oates for the correction in identifying this bird it's a new Lifer for me.
WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre.
What3Words
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The redhead duck (Aythya americana) is a medium-sized, sociable North American diving duck known for the distinctive cinnamon-red head of the breeding male. They are a popular game bird and are unique for their high rates of brood parasitism, where females lay eggs in the nests of other ducks.
Key Features
Appearance:
Breeding males have a striking copper-red head and neck, a black breast and tail, and a gray body. They have a rounded head shape and a pale blue-gray bill with a black tip and yellow eyes. Females are a more uniform, plain brown with a similar bill coloration and brown eyes.
Size:
Redheads are about 16 to 22 inches (40–56 cm) long with a wingspan of roughly 30 inches (76 cm).
Habitat and Range:
They breed primarily in the Prairie Pothole Region of the north-central United States and south-central Canada. In winter, they migrate south, gathering in large flocks (called "rafts") in coastal marshes, bays, and large inland lakes, especially the Laguna Madre along the Texas and Mexico Gulf Coast.
Diet:
They are omnivorous, primarily eating aquatic plants such as pondweeds, wild rice, and grasses. During the breeding season, females and ducklings consume more animal matter like aquatic insects, mollusks, and snails to meet protein needs.
Behavior:
Redheads are diving ducks, using their strong legs to forage underwater in shallow areas. They are highly social, often forming large mixed-species flocks with canvasbacks and scaup. In flight, they are fast with erratic, shallow wingbeats.
Unique Facts
Brood Parasitism:
Female redheads are notable for laying their eggs in the nests of other ducks (including canvasbacks, mallards, and northern pintails) and even other bird species like American bitterns and northern harriers. Some females lay eggs parasitically before raising their own clutch, while others are entirely parasitic.
Courtship:
Males perform elaborate courtship displays, including a "head throw" where they bend their neck nearly in half until their head touches their tail, accompanied by a distinctive, cat-like "mee-ow" call.
Vocalization:
Males make purring or meow-like calls, while females have a more typical quack or a soft "errrr" note.
The redhead population is currently considered a species of Least Concern by the IUCN due to conservation efforts and careful hunting management, though wetland loss remains an ongoing threat.
A Redheaded Woodpecker takes a split-second break from hunting the cracks and crevasses to check its six for the approaching threat…me.
Taken at Lincoln State Park, Lincoln City Indiana on 23 May, 2022.
A drake engaged in a solitary flight above a large flock of Redheads and Greater Scaups on Presqu'ile Bay.
I have been using a ground pod for most of my waterfowl photos lately to get a low angle without having a stiff neck for 3 days after. I have had one repetitive problem that I thought ruined this series of photos. I keep accidentally increasing my f stop when I change the angle of the camera. I increased it from f8 to f13 on this photo, but fortunately I was low enough that it only made a minor difference. Plus the Z8 is pretty good at handling the higher iso.
Finally I was close enough to take a decent shot they arrived here in Wisconsin every year on late winter on groups of more than 6 pairs at the time happy to have it! Thank you for your visit and have a great fay! :)