Redhead ducks visit the Lehigh Valley

Male Redhead

The Redhead, a medium-sized diving duck, is an infrequent wintertime visitor to the Lehigh Valley, having been last seen in 2011. But in the past week Redheads popped up in several locations.

Dave DeReamus, who compiles bird sightings for the Eastern PA Birdline, said birders reported seeing Redheads in Northampton, Lehigh and Bucks counties during the past week. The sightings included:

Echo Lake, Northampton County
One on January 17.

Easton, Northampton County
Two on January 17 at the Forks of the Delaware.

Fogelsville Quarry, Lehigh County
Two seen through at least January 18.

Allentown, Lehigh County
One seen on January 19 at Trexler Pond.
One seen through at least January 20 at Lake Muhlenberg.

Peace Valley Park, Bucks County
One seen on January 20.

The aptly named Redhead breeds in the northern prairies of the United States and Canada and in marshes in the mountains of the West. In the winter it spends its time in the coastal lagoons from Florida to Mexico. Scientists estimate that 80 percent of the species' North American population winters in the Laguna Madre of Texas and Mexico.

The migration route for the eastern population of Redheads usually passes through the Chesapeake Bay and along the Atlantic coast. It's unusual to find the bird this far inland.

Male and female Redhead

The male Redhead has a reddish head and upper neck. His lower neck and breast are black, and his hind back and tail are a brownish black. The female's coloration is less prominent. Brown is her color. Her head, neck and breast are reddish brown, punctuated by a buff white chin and an indistinct eye ring. The upper parts of her body are a dull grayish brown and the flanks are a warm brown. The bills in both sexes are a light blue-gray but the female's is duller.

Ducks in general will lay eggs in the nests of other ducks. The Redhead takes this parasitic behavior to the extreme. The female will lay eggs in nests belonging to such species as the American Bittern and even the predatory Northern Harrier. She counts on those species to incubate her eggs. The National Audubon Society reports that one Redhead laid 87 eggs in these "dump nests." Just in case, she lays eggs in her own nest as well.

Redheads dive to feed on seeds, rhizomes, tubers of pond weeds, wild celery, water lilies, grasses and wild rice. They also feet on mollusks, aquatic insects and small fish.

We can't say for sure what the population level of the Redhead is. The National Audubon Society reports that the species' total population is far below historical levels, and that its numbers have declined sharper than most ducks. Loss of nesting habitat is probably the main cause. However, Ducks Unlimited says the population has remained relatively steady since 1955, hovering in the 400,000 to 800,000 range. The group cites a study from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service that the species' population totaled 1 million individuals in 2009.

Although Redheads usually migrate in flocks, the ones that have been seen over the years in our region consist of small gatherings of no more than 40 birds, according to Birds of the Lehigh Valley and Vicinity, a publication of the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society. When Redheads are seen locally, it's almost always during migration time.

Editor's note: The two photos for the Redhead were restored after mysteriously disappearing from the blog. Our apologies.