Redhead

Scientific name: Aythya americana

How weight is recorded: Whole weight

Field notes

Appearance

Males have a distinctive bright chestnut-red head, black breast, and gray back; females are duller with brownish heads and gray-brown bodies. Both sexes show pale eyes and a blue-gray bill with a black tip.

Size and weight

Males: 0.9–1.0 kg, 48–56 cm length. Females: 0.8–0.95 kg, 46–54 cm length.

Habitat

Redheads favor freshwater lakes, marshes, and prairie ponds with shallow waters and emergent vegetation. They prefer areas with open water for diving and nearby vegetation for nesting and roosting.

Distribution

Redheads breed across central North America from prairie Canada south to the Great Plains; they winter primarily in coastal bays and inland reservoirs from the southern U.S. to Mexico.

Diet

Redheads are primarily vegetarian, feeding on aquatic plants, seeds, and tubers; they also consume some aquatic invertebrates and small fish, especially during breeding season.

Behaviour

Redheads are highly social dabbling ducks, active primarily at dawn and dusk but also feeding throughout the day. They form flocks outside breeding season and are strong, fast fliers with direct flight patterns.

Hunting tips

Look for rafts of birds on open water at dawn and dusk; approach using available vegetation, shoreline contours, or floating cover. These ducks flush readily and fly fast in tight flocks—lead shots well and expect strong, direct flight responses.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 2 countries in Huntify.

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.