Redhead
Aythya americana
A medium-sized diving duck with a rounded, rust-red head and a pale blue bill with a black tip.
- Type
- Ducks
- Movement
- Migratory
- Habitat
- Lakes & ponds, Marshes
- Typical size
- 18–22 in long; about 2–2.5 lb
- Range
- Breeds in the northern prairies and the West and winters along the Gulf Coast and in coastal bays
- Seasons
- Part of the regular duck season, with a daily bag limit that is often small
How to identify it
- Drake: a round, rust-red head, a black breast, a gray body, a pale blue-gray bill with a white ring and a black tip, and a yellow eye.
- Hen: brown, with a paler face around the bill.
- The head is round, not sloping, and the bill is short compared with a canvasback's.
Often confused with
- Canvasback: has a sloping forehead, a long black bill, and a white-gray body.
What it eats
- Aquatic plants such as pondweeds and widgeon grass
- Seeds
- Small invertebrates
How it's hunted
- Decoy spreads on open water of lakes and bays
- Mixed diving-duck spreads
- Layout and boat blinds
Field notes
Redheads are strong divers that feed on aquatic plants, and they gather in large groups in winter, especially on the coastal bays of the Gulf.
They look a lot like canvasbacks at a distance. A round head and a short bill with a white ring separate the two.
Related guides
Seasons, bag limits, legal shot types, and licensing vary by state and change every year. Migratory game birds such as ducks, geese, and doves generally require a state license, registration in the Harvest Information Program, and, for waterfowl, a federal duck stamp, and waterfowl must be hunted with non-toxic shot. Check your state's current regulations — our state resources directory links straight to each state's official hunting rules and license portal.