Redhead - Ross Feldner One of the simplest named birds is the Redhead, a medium-sized diving duck with a bright cinnamon-red head and a pale blue bill. Like most diving ducks, the Redhead’s legs are place further back on the body which helps them forage underwater but makes walking on land difficult. Redheads prefer small, semi-permanent wetlands in non-forested country where the water is deep enough to provide dense vegetation. During winter Redheads switch to large areas of water near the coast that are protected from wave action. Redheads flock together on lakes and other bodies of water, but migrate in pairs, which form in December or January through long elaborate courtship rituals that begin with the male neck-kinking and head throwing while emitting a cat-like call. They have a distinct feeding pattern based on whether it’s breeding or wintering season. During the breeding season they feed on gastropods, mollusks and insect larvae. During wintering they eat mostly plant material such as grass, weeds, wild rise and bulrushes. Nests are built with thick and strong plant material in emergent vegetation, such as hard stem bulrush, cattails and sedges, over or near standing water. | |
