Bufflehead
BuffleheadBuffleheadBuffleheadBufflehead

Bufflehead

Bucephala albeola

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Saguaro National Park
1,103 Verified sightings at Saguaro National Park From 2019 to 2026
22,240 Verified sightings across all 48 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Bufflehead

The bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) is a small sea duck of the genus Bucephala, the goldeneyes. It breeds in Alaska and Canada and migrates in winter to southern North America. This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae as Anas albeola.

The bufflehead was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Anas albeola. Linnaeus based his account on the "little black and white duck" that had been described in 1747 by the English naturalist George Edwards in the second volume of his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. Edwards examined a specimen from Newfoundland provided by the archivist George Holmes (archivist), the deputy Keeper of Records in the Tower of London. Linnaeus specified the type locality as America, but this has been restricted to Newfoundland following Edwards. The bufflehead is now placed with two goldeneye species in the genus Bucephala that was introduced in 1858 by the American naturalist Spencer Baird. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek βουκέφαλος bouképhalos, 'bullheaded', from boûs 'bull', and kephalḗ... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park

Barrow's Goldeneye

Barrow's Goldeneye

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Bucephala islandica

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Common Goldeneye
LC

Common Goldeneye

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Bucephala clangula

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Mallard
LC

Mallard

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anas platyrhynchos

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
American Wigeon
LC

American Wigeon

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Mareca americana

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Ring-necked Duck
LC

Ring-necked Duck

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aythya collaris

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Northern Shoveler
LC

Northern Shoveler

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spatula clypeata

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Ruddy Duck
LC

Ruddy Duck

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Oxyura jamaicensis

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Cinnamon Teal
LC

Cinnamon Teal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spatula cyanoptera

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Common Teal
LC

Common Teal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anas crecca

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Northern Pintail
LC

Northern Pintail

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anas acuta

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Gadwall
LC

Gadwall

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Mareca strepera

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Mexican Duck

Mexican Duck

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anas diazi

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~50%
2 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
3 Wood Buffalo National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
4 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
5 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
6 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
7 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
8 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
9 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
10 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
11 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
12 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
13 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
14 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
15 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
16 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
17 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
18 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
19 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
20 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
21 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
22 Katmai National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
23 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
24 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
25 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
26 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
27 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
28 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
29 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
30 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
31 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
32 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
33 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
34 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
35 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
36 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
37 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
38 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
39 Gates of the Arctic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
40 Nahanni National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
41 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
Insufficient data
42 Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
43 Kenai Fjords National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
44 Guadalupe Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
45 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
46 Badlands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
47 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
48 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Bufflehead in Saguaro National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bufflehead sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 1,103 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Bufflehead in Saguaro National Park?

January has the highest sighting rate for Bufflehead in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.

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