Fun Redhead Duck Facts For Kids

Do you know few birds do not incubate their own eggs? Do you know they lay their eggs in others' nests? Do you know they lay their legs even in abandoned nests? Do you know they indulge in parasite nesting?

Can you think of a bird that is an example of this avian brood parasitism? The redhead duck is a specialist in this area. They do not mind laying their eggs in almost ten other duck species' nests. Even Northern harrier's nests, a predatory bird, are not spared.

The distinctive colorful plumage with copper head and gray body with black breast and tail of the breeding male of this species gives it this name. These North American birds are one of the diving ducks in the world. Due to this duck's very gregarious and approachable nature, they are gaining popularity both in poultry and as a pet.

For more relatable content, check out these bean goose facts and click ring-necked duck facts for kids.

Redhead Duck Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a redhead duck?

Redhead ducks are medium-sized waterfowl with redheads and gray bodies. They are migratory birds that belong to the family of diving ducks.

What class of animal does a redhead duck belong to?

Redhead duck belongs to Aves class of Anatidae family of ducks, geese, and swans.

How many redhead ducks are there in the world?

Redhead ducks are found in abundance in the world. There are about 1.4 million birds, and their population has been stable.

Where does a redhead duck live?

Redhead duck is found across a wide range of North America during the breeding season. They range from Northern Canada to the Caribbean and in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Dakotas. And in winter, they are found in the southern United States, including Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, and the Bahamas. Wetlands, lakes with thick vegetation are their main habitat.

What is a redhead duck's habitat?

Redhead ducks are migratory North American birds that spend their summer in fresh marshes and lakes. They nest in prairies and intermountain valleys. During the winter season, the flocks spend most of their time in the coastal bays, lagoons, and inland freshwater lakes.

Who do redhead ducks live with?

Redhead ducks live in flocks. They share their habitat with other pochards like canvasback, ring-necked duck, greater and lesser scaups.

How long does a redhead duck live?

The lifespan of a redhead duck is about 18 years in the wild. On record, the oldest redhead duck lived for 22 years. They are predated by skunks, raccoons, crows, magpies, and California gulls. Also, climate change and the loss of nesting habitats are troubling factors.

How do they reproduce?

During the breeding season, the males attract the females with kink necked displays and cat-like calls. Once mated, the females chase away any bachelor males approaching them.

Females swim into the dense vegetation of lakes to choose nesting sites on cattails and bulrushes, and uplands atop muskrat houses. Female Redheads indulge in parasite nesting by depositing their eggs in other birds' nests like the ring-necked duck, the greater and lesser scaups, and canvasback.

The female redheads lay 9-14 eggs in a clutch. The incubation period is for about a month. The young are born with dull brown feathers and follow their mother within a day or two of hatching. But they take about four months to take a flight. The males, after mating, leave the nest and get into the molting process.

What is their conservation status?

According to the IUCN Red List, the conservation status of redhead Aythya americana ducks is of Least Concern.

Redhead Duck Fun Facts

What do redhead ducks look like?

Redhead ducks are medium-sized diving ducks. The copper red head of a breeding male with a black breast and tail and gray body is the reason for the names of these lovely birds. The bill is gray with a black tip.

The females have duller brown overall plumage with duller bills, unlike the red head and gray body of a male. However, a male during the non-breeding winter season has a brown head like the female. Every bird has this adorable angle bent between the head and bill.

How cute are they?

They are cute gregarious birds. The redhead duck species are often known as rafting ducks that often alight at hunting decoys. They are very friendly birds that flock together. Their gray body, black breast, and tail with copper head make them all the more attractive.

How do they communicate?

Little is known about the details of communication of this species other than the quacks. The vocalizations are different during the breeding season, with males making catlike calls or soft cough calling to the females. While the females reciprocate with soft note calls. The flocks are less noisy in their winter grounds.

How big is a redhead duck?

Redheads are 18 - 22  in (45.7-55.8 cm) in length with a wingspan of 33 in ( 83.8 cm ).

How fast can a redhead duck fly?

A redhead duck can fly at speeds of 72 mph (115.8 kph).

How much does a redhead duck weigh?

The redhead duck weight range is between 2.0-2.5 lb (907 - 1134 g). Males are larger than females, and both have brown plumage during the non-breeding winter season.

What are the male and female names of the species?

There is no particular name for the male and female redhead ducks. A male duck is generally called a drake, and a female is called a hen. A group of ducks is known as a raft, a team, paddling, or brace of ducks.

What would you call a baby redhead duck?

There is no specific name for a baby redhead duck. In general, they are called ducklings. Depending on the development stages, the young are called chicks, hatchlings, or fledglings.

What do they eat?

Redhead ducks eat a variety of submerged aquatic plants found in lakes, like musk grass, pondweed, widgeon grass, etc., as part of their food. Also, they feed on small invertebrates like snails, zebra mussels, caddisflies, mayflies, and fish eggs. However, during winter, they feed exclusively on shoal grass snails and clams.

Are they dangerous?

No, the redhead duck is not a dangerous bird.

Would they make a good pet?

The redhead ducks are abundantly found in nature. They are migratory birds and are sometimes kept as pets.

The bird can be found in the aviculture, and those who own them should provide dense natural cover or nesting boxes and a good enough aquatic environment to these diving ducks. Food like duck pellet, dried dog food, normal poultry feed, and greens also can be given to the redheads.

Did you know...

One may find dump nests where several birds lay eggs that are never incubated. On record, a dump nest with 87 eggs was identified.

The head kink display by a male bird during the display is a sort of gymnastic stunt where the head touches the tail.

Redhead duck decoys before the hunters because of their gregarious nature before they have finished setting them up.

What do redhead ducks sound like?

Redhead male ducks give out a catlike meow call during the breeding season. A low, guttural err sound is made to caution other males. Similar but softer sounds are made by the females. During the winter season, they are mostly less noisy.

Redheads vs. canvasback ducks

Both the redhead duck and canvasback duck species are very similar, and it is difficult to make out the difference between the two with an ordinary eye. They share the same habitat range and often interbreed.

But canvasback ducks are a little larger, almost 2 in (5cm) taller than the redheads and the angle between the head and the bill are also different.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our Indian runner duck facts and swan goose facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Redhead duck coloring pages.