Critters of the Week

Where Spotted: Shield Lake in Byrd Park
Common Name: Redhead
Scientific Name: Aythya americana
Length: 16.5-21.3 in (42-54 cm)
Weight: 22.2-52.9 oz (630-1500 g)
Wingspan: 29.5-31.1 in (75-79 cm)

Quick Facts Courtesy of Cornell Labs

• Many ducks lay some of their eggs in other birds’ nests (a strategy known as “brood parasitism”), but female Redheads are perhaps tops in this department. Their targets include other Redheads as well as Mallard, Canvasback, Northern Pintail, Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, Ruddy Duck, American Wigeon—even Northern Harrier.
• Courting male Redheads perform a gymnastic “head throw” display, bending nearly in half with the neck bent far over the back until the head touches the tail. The bird then snaps its neck forward while giving a loud, catlike mee-ow call.
• Redheads are so exceptionally gregarious they’re referred to as “rafting ducks.” Sometimes they alight at hunting decoys before the hunters have finished setting them up.
• In winter much of the Redhead population forms huge flocks in two Gulf of Mexico bays that share a name, the Laguna Madre of Texas and Laguna Madre of Mexico. Flocks numbering up to 60,000 can occur, feeding on seagrass in the bays.
• The oldest known Redhead was 20 years and 7 months. It was banded in 1976 as a hatchling in Minnesota and shot in Texas in 1997.

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Fluff Ball at Richmond SPCA

Hi! My name is Fluff Ball and I’m a lovely little lad looking for a loving home. Won’t you help me? I promise that I won’t ask for much… just a lifetime of love and devotion! I can’t wait to play and cuddle with my new family. Could you be the one I’m waiting for? Please ask to meet me today!

Age: 6 years,
Gender: Neutered Male
Color: Grey
ID: 49468500

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