Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Redhead

Aythya americana

(Eyton, 1838)

Redhead

G5Secure Found in 58 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.106196
Element CodeABNJB11030
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderAnseriformes
FamilyAnatidae
GenusAythya
Other Common Names
Fuligule à tête rouge (FR) Pato Cabeza Roja (ES) redhead (EN)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-06
Change Date1996-11-21
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Range Extent Comments
BREEDS: locally in south-central and southeastern Alaska, to western Canada and northwestern Minnesota, south to southern California and east to southern Wisconsin, northwestern Pennsylvania. Breeds in greatest abundance in the prairies and parklands of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, North Dakota, and South Dakota; nest densities are highest in the marshes of Nevada and Utah (Custer 1993). WINTERS: southern British Columbia, east to Nevada, northern Arkansas, and southern Illinois, eastern Indiana, eastern Michigan, New York, Connecticut, and eastern Maryland south to Mexico (most of), Guatemala, Cuba, Jamaica and Bahamas; casual in Hawaii. Primary wintering areas in the U.S. include eastern New Mexico-western Texas to Red River (Texas-Oklahoma), Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida, Atlantic coast from southern New Jersey to North Carolina, eastern Florida, and lakes Erie and Ontario (Root 1988). An estimated 80% of the total population winters on the hypersaline Laguna Madre along the Gulf Coast of northern Mexico and southern Texas (Custer 1993). Lake Winnipegosis in Manitoba is an important fall staging and molting area (Custer 1993).
Threat Impact Comments
Continued losses of easily drained shallow wetlands may impede efforts to maintain current population levels (Woodin and Swanson 1989). Use of permanent and semipermanent wetlands for breeding provides some buffer from the negative effects of drought (Custer 1993). Lack of strong fidelity to breeding sites allows opportunistic use of periodically available suitable water conditions (Custer 1993). Threats in the winter range include loss of shallow shoalgrass "meadows," and increased recreational and industrial use (Custer 1993). Declines in wildcelery have been accompanied by declines in redhead use (Custer 1993).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Large marshes, lakes, lagoons, rivers and bays, wintering mostly in brackish and marine lagoons and bays, less frequently in inland fresh-water situations (AOU 1983). Birds arriving in fall on saltwater wintering areas, and those wintering in high salinity areas, generally make daily flights to nearby freshwater ponds to drink, preen, and bathe (but not to feed) (Custer 1993).

The most important breeding areas are concentrated in the prairies of the U.S. and Canada. Nests in large freshwater marshes (semipermanently and seasonally flooded palustrine wetlands with persistent emergent vegetation; optimum nesting conditions are wetlands that are 2 ha or more and not more than 0.4 km from a large permanent or semipermanent lake; nests usually are placed in dense bulrush or cattail stands that are interspersed with small areas of open water; nests usually are within 3-4 m of open water; bottom of nest usually is 4-24 cm above the water (Custer 1993). Broods use shallow ponds if emergent vegetation is available for escape cover; ideally these should have high invertebrate populations; later, access to deeper water with ample pondweeds is important (Custer 1993). After nesting, many move to large lakes to molt (Custer 1993). Commonly deposits eggs in nests of other waterfowl species.

Ecology

Annual mortality rate is relatively high, 80% in first year, 40% in second year (Bellrose 1980).

Reproduction

Breeding begins in late April in the south to early June in the north. Clutch size is often 7-10 eggs in the redhead's nest, plus commonly several additional eggs laid in the nests of other waterfowl. Incubation lasts 24-28 days, by female (Terres 1980). Brood size averaged 7 in Iowa, 5 in Nevada (Custer 1993). Young are tended by female, which generally deserts the brood when young are about 8 weeks old; the young fledge generally at 10-12 weeks (Custer 1993). Breeding density: 4-10 nests/sq km in the northern Great Plains, 69-214/sq km of marsh in Nevada and Utah (Custer 1993).
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLAND
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5B,N5N
ProvinceRankNative
IowaS2B,S4NYes
IllinoisSNAYes
ConnecticutSNAYes
MichiganS3Yes
MissouriSNRN,SNRMYes
GeorgiaS4Yes
PennsylvaniaS2NYes
ColoradoS4BYes
KentuckySNAYes
IndianaS1BYes
North DakotaSNRBYes
West VirginiaS3NYes
NevadaS3B,S5NYes
MassachusettsS3NYes
TexasS3B,S4NYes
NebraskaS4Yes
District of ColumbiaS1NYes
TennesseeS4NYes
New MexicoS4Yes
LouisianaS4NYes
MaineSNAYes
MontanaS5BYes
South CarolinaS4NYes
Navajo NationS3B,S4NYes
MinnesotaSNRB,SNRMYes
KansasS1B,S3NYes
OklahomaSNRNYes
WisconsinS3B,S4NYes
AlabamaS4NYes
VirginiaSNRNYes
Rhode IslandS2NYes
North CarolinaS3NYes
CaliforniaS3Yes
WashingtonS3N,S5BYes
AlaskaS3BYes
ArizonaS4Yes
UtahS2Yes
IdahoS4Yes
MarylandS2NYes
ArkansasS3NYes
New JerseySNAYes
New YorkSNANo
South DakotaS4BYes
FloridaSNRNYes
MississippiS4NYes
WyomingS5B,S4NYes
OregonS4Yes
DelawareS2NYes
VermontSNAYes
CanadaN5B,N5N
ProvinceRankNative
AlbertaS5BYes
Yukon TerritoryS2BYes
SaskatchewanS5BYes
New BrunswickS1BYes
British ColumbiaS4B,S5NYes
QuebecS4BYes
Nova ScotiaSHBYes
ManitobaS5BYes
Northwest TerritoriesS5Yes
OntarioS2B,S4NYes
Roadless Areas (58)
Alaska (3)
AreaForestAcres
Chilkat-West Lynn CanalTongass National Forest199,772
RedoubtTongass National Forest68,347
Sitka UrbanTongass National Forest112,003
Arizona (4)
AreaForestAcres
Butterfly Roadless AreaCoronado National Forest42,296
GoldfieldTonto National Forest15,257
PinalenoCoronado National Forest130,920
TumacacoriCoronado National Forest44,594
California (7)
AreaForestAcres
City CreekSan Bernardino National Forest9,997
Deep CreekSan Bernardino National Forest23,869
Devil's Gate (CA)Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest9,946
Mill PeakSan Bernardino National Forest7,884
Mt. JacksonHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest20,721
Orleans Mtn. BSix Rivers National Forest17,183
Silver HillHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest4,423
Colorado (3)
AreaForestAcres
Bristol HeadRio Grande NF46,087
Dome PeakRoutt NF35,716
San MiguelSan Juan NF64,263
Idaho (3)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekCaribou-Targhee National Forest118,582
HoodooNez Perce-Clearwater National Forest153,868
PalisadesCaribou-Targhee National Forest122,002
Montana (8)
AreaForestAcres
Bmss Ra 1485Flathead National Forest334,275
Buckhorn Ridge (MT)Kootenai National Forest34,716
Cube Iron - SilcoxLolo National Forest36,998
Freezeout MountainBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest97,305
Hyalite - Porcupine - Buffalo Horn Wilderness Study AreaGallatin National Forest143,991
MadisonGallatin National Forest127,859
Middle Fork Judith WsaLewis and Clark National Forest81,131
Selway - Bitterroot (01067)Bitterroot National Forest114,953
Nevada (5)
AreaForestAcres
Bald Mtn.Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest41,598
Four MileHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest24,093
Pearl PeakHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest71,405
South SchellHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest125,614
Table Mtn. - EastHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest87,789
New Mexico (2)
AreaForestAcres
Contiguous To Black & Aldo Leopold WildernessGila National Forest111,883
Meadow CreekGila National Forest34,167
Oregon (4)
AreaForestAcres
HellholeUmatilla National Forest65,679
Hurricane CreekWallowa-Whitman National Forest1,606
Mt. BaileyUmpqua National Forest18,401
Sky Lakes AWinema National Forest3,940
South Dakota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Indian CreekBuffalo Gap National Grassland24,666
Utah (10)
AreaForestAcres
418025Uinta National Forest32,698
418029Uinta National Forest15,673
Casto BluffDixie National Forest87,466
CottonwoodDixie National Forest6,754
Horse ValleyDixie National Forest13,624
Mt. AireWasatch-Cache National Forest9,681
Mt. Logan NorthWasatch-Cache National Forest18,930
Mt. Logan SouthWasatch-Cache National Forest17,014
Stoddard MountainDixie National Forest13,165
WellsvilleWasatch-Cache National Forest1,717
Virginia (3)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekJefferson National Forest18,274
Crawford MountainGeorge Washington National Forest9,892
Garden MountainJefferson National Forest3,960
Washington (1)
AreaForestAcres
ChelanWenatchee National Forest74,650
Wyoming (4)
AreaForestAcres
Gros Ventre MountainsBridger-Teton National Forest106,418
PalisadesTarghee National Forest1,121
Teton Corridor TrailheadsBridger-Teton National Forest286
Wilderness Study AreaTarghee National Forest51,961
References (33)
  1. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
  2. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
  3. Beedy, E.C., and B.E. Deuel. 2008. Redhead (<i>Aythya americana</i>) Account in Shuford, W. D., and Gardali, T., editors. California Bird Species of Special Concern: A ranked assessment of species, subspecies, and distinct populations of birds of immediate conservation concern in California. Studies of Western Birds 1. Western Field Ornithologists, Camarillo, California, and California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento. https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=10380&inline (Accessed 31 May 2023).
  4. Bellrose, F.C. 1976. Ducks, geese and swans of North America. Stackpole Books, Harrisburg, PA.
  5. Bellrose, F. C. 1980. Ducks, geese and swans of North America. 3rd edition. Stackpole Books, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. 540 pp.
  6. BirdLife International. 2004b. Threatened birds of the world 2004. CD ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
  7. California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). 2022. California Breeding Waterfowl Survey Report. California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sacramento, CA. 17 pp. https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=202508 (Accessed 1 June 2023).
  8. Custer, C. M. 1993. Life history traits and habitat needs of the redhead. Part 13.1.11 of Waterfowl management handbook. 7 pp.
  9. Eadie, J. M., L.-P. L. Savard, and M. L. Mallory. 2000 Barrow's Goldeneye (BUCEPHALA ISLANDICA). No. 548 IN A. Poole and F. Gill, editors, The birds of North America. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. 32pp.
  10. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2023. EBird Data Download for Redhead (<i>Aythya americana</i>). https://www.gbif.org/species/2498263 (Accessed 1 June 2023).
  11. Godfrey, W. E. 1986. The birds of Canada. Revised edition. National Museum of Natural Sciences, Ottawa. 596 pp. + plates.
  12. Gogol-Prokurat, M. 2016. Redhead Range Map. California Wildlife Habitat Relationship Program, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sacramento, CA. https://apps.wildlife.ca.gov/bios6/Default.aspx (Accessed 26 May 2023).
  13. Grand, J.B., and P.L. Flint. 1997. Productivity of nesting Spectacled Eiders on the lower Kashunuk River, Alaska. Condor 100:926-932.
  14. Grinnell, J., H.C. Bryant, and T.I. Storer. 1918. The Game Birds of California. Univ. Calif. Press, Berkeley. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8991664
  15. Harrison, C. 1978. A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds. Collins, Cleveland, Ohio.
  16. Howell, S. N. G., and S. Webb. 1995. A guide to the birds of Mexico and northern Central America. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
  17. Marcy, L. E. 1986. Waterfowl nest baskets. Section 5.1.3, US Army Corps of Engineers Wildlife Resources Management Manual. Tech. Rep. EL-86-15. Waterways Expt. Station, Vicksburg, Mississippi. 16 pp.
  18. Parker III, T. A., D. F. Stotz, and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1996. Ecological and distributional databases for neotropical birds. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
  19. Peterson, R.T. 1980b. A field guide to the birds of eastern and central North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
  20. Peterson, R.T. 1990b. A field guide to western birds. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
  21. Raffaele, H., J. Wiley, O. Garrido, A. Keith, and J. Raffaele. 1998. A guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. 511 pp.
  22. Reed, A. 1975. Migration, homing, and mortality of breeding female eiders SOMATERIA MOLLISSIMA DRESSERI of the St. Lawrence estuary, Quebec. Ornis Scand. 6:41-47.
  23. Root, T. 1988. Atlas of wintering North American birds: An analysis of Christmas Bird Count data. University of Chicago Press. 336 pp.
  24. Scott, S. L. 1983. Field guide to the birds of North America. National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.
  25. Sibley, D. A. 2000a. The Sibley guide to birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  26. Swennen, C. 1990. Dispersal and migratory movements of eiders SOMATERIA MOLLISSIMA breeding in the Netherlands. Ornis Scand. 21:17-27.
  27. Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  28. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 1988. SEIS 88. Final supplemental environmental impact statement: issuance of annual regulations permitting the sport hunting of migratory birds. x + 340 pp.
  29. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2022. Waterfowl population status, 2022. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C. USA. https://www.fws.gov/waterfowlsurveys/docs/waterfowl-population-status-report-2022.pdf (Accessed 1 June 2023).
  30. van de Wetering, D. 1997. Moult characteristics and habitat selection of post-breeding male Barrow's Goldeneye (BUCEPHALA ISLANDICA) in northern Yukon. Technical Report Series No. 296, Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region.
  31. Wakeley, J. S., and H. L. Mendall. 1976. Migrational homing and survival of adult female eiders in Maine. Journal of Wildlife Management 40:15-21.
  32. Woodin, M. C., and G. A. Swanson. 1989. Foods and dietary strategies of prairie-nesting ruddy ducks and redheads. Condor 91:280-287.
  33. Woodin, M. C. and T. C. Michot. 2020.Redhead (<i>Aythya americana</i>), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.redhea.01