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Redhead
Aythya americana
Family: ANATIDAE
Order: Anseriformes
Spanish Common Name: Pato cabeza roja
French Common Name: Morillon à tête rouge; Fuligule à tête rouge
(c) George Tomasevich |
Courtesy Kenn Kaufman |
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Conservation Status
Global Population: 1,200,000
Continental Population: 1,200,000
Watchlist Status: 
Red, grey, black, and a touch of blue mark the colorful drake Redhead, a favorite among bird watchers. Short, powerful legs and large webbed feet set near the tail make this "bay duck" a proficient diver but a clumsy walker. In order to cope with poor nesting conditions, Redheads often lay their eggs in the nests of other birds—including the Northern Harrier, a raptor!
Range & Distribution
Redheads can be found across much of North America from Alaska to Tabasco, Mexico. Most Redheads breed at scattered sites from the Great Plains westward through Nevada and north into the Northwest Territories. Their winter range extends from the greater Ohio River Valley and central Atlantic States south, then west through Georgia into most of California. Along the Texas and Mexico coasts, the great Laguna Madre lagoon (part National Wildlife Refuge) hosts approximately 90% of all wintering Redheads.
A legend for the range map to the right can be found here.
Population Status & Trends
After recovering from market hunting in the early 1900s, Redhead populations peaked in the early 1950s and remained fairly stable until 1990. Species numbers then fluctuated significantly between 1990 and 2005; estimated numbers of breeding Redheads ranged between 323,000 and 1,005,000. Christmas Bird Counts in Mexico have recorded far fewer of these ducks since the mid-1990s.
Conservation Issues & Efforts
The Redhead struggles against two complex challenges: habitat loss and hunting. Shortened seasons, bag limits, and the cooperation of recreational hunters helped Redheads recover from market hunting in the early 20th Century. Habitat preservation is now a primary concern—71% of Canada's prairie wetlands, a major component of the Redhead's breeding range, have been destroyed by conversion to farmland, lumber harvesting, and petroleum development. Redhead breeding success appears tied to the condition of their wetland habitat—especially water depth. Conservation groups are concentrating on land procurement and preservation, education, and conservation easements, which mirror the U.S. "Swampbuster" programs, which encourage farmers to conserve wetlands rather than convert them to farmland.
The destruction of the Redhead's traditional migrating and wintering sea grass meadow habitat is easily observed in places like the Chesapeake Bay, which Redheads can no longer use; the meadows there have virtually disappeared. Today, much farther south, the shoal grass within Laguna Madre provides winter forage for nearly all Redheads in winter. Girdled by barrier islands, the "Mother Lagoon" straddles the U. S. / Mexico border, and covers over 400 coastal miles along the Gulf of Mexico. Agricultural run-off, industrial pollution, dredging for the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, tourist and residential development, and overfishing have ruined vast fields of aquatic plants within this lagoon. Between 1965 and 1988, nearly 50% of the shoal grass habitat was lost within the lower lagoon. Redheads also face threats in this region from increased petroleum development and the loss of critical fresh water. National Wildlife Refuge status protects some sections of the Laguna Madre, and in July 2005, the Mexican Government moved to conserve 1.4 million additional acres within its borders.
What You Can Do
Join a local bird or nature club to look for Redheads during spring and fall migration.
Join a local conservation group to limit development in critical wetlands, and access to wetlands during migration. Conservation easements can be an effective tool for managing land to benefit Redheads.
For other actions you can take, including Audubon activities, please visit our resources page.
For More Information
References
Kaufman, Kenn. Lives of North American Birds. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, 1996.
Sibley, David Allen. The Sibley Guide to Birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2000.
" Wetlands." The Atlas of Canada. Natural Resources Canada. 11 June 2004. Accessed December 18, 2006.
Woodin, M. C., and T. C. Michot. 2002. Redhead (Aythya americana). In The Birds of North America, No. 695 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.
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