Bucephala albeola

• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• Bibliography
• More Info
• Notes

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Family Anatidae

Birds that are modified for swimming, floating on the water surface, and in some cases diving in at least shallow water. They have webbed feet and flattened bills. Special oils in their feathers helps them shed water. This is one of the few families of birds that possess a penis .

Physical Description

Habitat

Vegetation: freshwater lakes and ponds, freshwater marshes, coastal waters • Maximum Elevation: 2,500 meters • Sensitivity to Disturbancet: Medium

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 3,632 meters (0 to 11,916 feet).Mean = 337.990 meters (1,108.891 feet), Standard Deviation = 520.150 based on 20,000 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre.

Biology

Diet

Primarily:

Aquatic Invertebrates

Lesser Quantities of: Green Plant Matter Seeds Fish

Reproduction

• Breeding Habitat : Wetland-open water
• Nest Type : Cavity
• Clutch Size: 6-14
• Length of Incubation : 29-31(28-33) days
• Days to Fledge : 50-55
• Number of Broods: 1

Migration

Migratory

Taxonomy

Unambiguous Synonyms

1. Bucephala albeola (Linnaeus, 1758)

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 17-Oct-2001

Similar Species

Hooded Merganser, Ruddy Duck

Members of the genus Bucephala

There are approximately 8 species in this genus:

B. albeola (Bufflehead) · B. clangula (Common Goldeneye) · B. clangula americana (Common Goldeneye) · B. clangula clangula (Common Goldeneye) · B. clangula ssp · B. clangula x · B. hyemalis · B. islandica (Barrow's Goldeneye)

Bibliography

• Alsop, Fred J. III. Birds of North America - Eastern Region. First American Edition. Smithsonian Handbooks. DK Publishing, Inc. 2001.
• Banks, R. C., R. W. McDiarmid, A. L. Gardner, and W. C. Starnes 2003. Checklist of Vertebrates of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and Canada.
• Bird Reference Citations. The numbers inserted in the text accounts above (usually in bold) refer to references. For further details on these references, click on the BirdLife International link above to go to the specific species account on the BirdLife web site. In some cases, particularly in the taxonomic notes, the references are cited using the author names. Details for these can be found on the BirdLife International web site at the following two places: For References from A–L. For References from M–Z.
• BirdLife International. 2000. Threatened Birds of the World. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, U.K.
• BirdLife International. 2004 Threatened Birds of the World 2004. CD-ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K.
• Ehrlich, P., Dobkin, D., and Wheye, D. (1988). The Birders Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds. New York: Simon and Schuster Inc. (info on clutch size, length of incubation, days to fledge and number of broods.)
• Robbins, C.S., Bruun, B., Zim, H.S., (1966). Birds of North America. New York: Western Publishing Company, Inc. (Length and wingspan info.)

More Info

• Search for Pictures: images.google.com
• Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
• Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Notes

Contributors

• BirdLife International 2004. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 18, 2008.
• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed December 09, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 23 providers.
• Universal Biological Indexer and Organizer. uBio.org accessed July 17, 2008.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal December 09, 2007:

• Avian Knowledge Network, eBird
• Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Bishop Museum Natural History Specimen Data
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, North West Territories and Nunavut Bird Checklist, Canada
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Ontario Nest Records
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Provincial Museum of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. Birds
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Royal British Columbia Museum
• Marine Science Institute, UCSB, Paleobiology Database
• Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Terrestrial vertebrate specimens
• New Brunswick Museum, NBM birds
• Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara Musem of Natural History
• UNIBIO, IBUNAM, CNAV/Coleccion Nacional de Aves
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
• , Bird specimens

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 3854430
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-175145
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13832387
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 175145
• IUCN ID: 47233
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: ABNJB18030
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 6869

Footnotes

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