Redhead Duck - Duck Hunting - Wetland Hunting

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Redhead Duck

 

Description

This diving duck is medium-sized measuring 37cm long and has a wingspan of 84 cm. Although the redheads are known by many names, the game bird is distinguished from other ducks because the males have copper-colored heads and bright bluebills, especially during the breeding season.

Description

Redhead is a diving duck (pochard) thus adapted to foraging underwater. Since their legs are placed afar from the back of their bodies, it is quite hard for these birds to walk on land. However, they've larger feet than the dabbling ducks with additional broader bills to facilitate foraging underwater.

The male ducks have a cinnamon red-head, a gray body with a black rear and the chest. Their bills are gray with a black tip while the redhead female ducks are medium brown with a pale face & a dark bill that has a black tip.

Habitat

Redhead ducks mainly breed in seasonal wetlands like the prairie pothole region. However, during the migration or winter seasons, these game birds occupy near the coastal areas where they are protected from the wave action. Lakes, freshwater river deltas, reservoirs, coastal marshes, bays, estuaries and playa wetlands are other common areas redhead ducks thrive in.

Diet

The diet of redhead ducks is mainly seeds, leaves, stems, and roots of aquatic plants. However, to supplement their diet, these birds also feed on insects, sedges, water lilies, shoal grass, pondweeds, smartweeds, small fish and mollusks.

Nesting

The nest site of redhead ducks is mainly in the dense marsh above shallow water, especially in bulrushes (on dry ground). The nest is made up of dead vegetation but anchored with standing growth vegetation.

It is important to note that redhead nesting is characterized by parasitic behaviors with the females laying eggs in the nests of other redheads and water birds. Some female redheads are entirely parasitic because they do not incubate their eggs.

However, most redhead female ducks are semi-parasitic. Therefore, they lay some eggs in nests of other redheads but raise a few young ones of their own! But, sometimes the females can lay eggs that are never incubated in ‘dump nests'.

Eggs

Redhead female ducks lay 9 to 14 eggs. The eggs range in color from dull white to pale olive buff. The females incubate the eggs for 23 to 29 days with the young ones leaving the nest a day or two after they hatch. The young feed themselves and they can start flying after 2 months or so.


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