13.5 inches long with a wingspan of 21 inches. The Bufflehead is a small compact diving duck with a small dark gray bill. The male has a dark glossy green-black head with a large white patch on the upper rear of the head. It has a white breast, belly, and flanks. The back is dark. In flight the inner wing is white and the outer wing is dark. The female has a dark brown head with a small white patch behind the eye. The body is brown with the breast and flanks paler. The belly is white. In flight there a white inner secondaries on an otherwise dark wing.
The Bufflehead is a common migrant and unusual winter visitor to the Omaha area. It may be seen flying over the Forest or along the Missouri River. They also may bee seen on the Great Marsh in small numbers, They arrive in October and leave by April.
The Bufflehead flies in a very direct flight on rapid wing beats. It feeds on aquatic plant seeds and insects and larvae by diving.
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