Bufflehead

Q: What are the chances of seeing a Bufflehead in Houston?

Rare. Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bufflehead sighting in Houston on a given day, based on 45 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 235th most-seen of the 302 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

Q: When is the best time to see a Bufflehead in Houston?

Any time of year. In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bufflehead in Houston on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

Q: What time of day is best to see a Bufflehead?

Between 9 am and noon. Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bufflehead sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Q: Is Houston the best place to see a Bufflehead?

32nd of 35. Of the 35 cities where we can rate Bufflehead sightings, Houston ranks 32nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Ciudad Juárez (México, about 30%), Calgary (Canada, about 30%) and Seattle (United States, about 30%).

Q: Where does the Bufflehead sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records. It is estimated from how often the Bufflehead is recorded against all the birds logged in Houston (45 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

Bucephala albeola

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderAnseriformes (Waterfowl)
FamilyAnatidae (Ducks, Geese, and Swans)
GenusBucephala (Goldeneyes and Bufflehead)
SpeciesBucephala albeola (Bufflehead)

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

at Houston

In 3 days <5%

45 Verified sightings at Houston

12,736 In all 37 parks From 2019 to 2026

March Best month

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

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 →

Sounds

Call1:30

United States · 2017

Call0:30

United States · 2017

Call0:12

United States · 2014

Global Distribution

Where it is recorded most Our parks where it lives Our cities where it livesIn captivity: 26 zoos & centres

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Elk Island National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~50%
2	Channel Islands National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~30%
3	Riding Mountain National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~30%
4	Yellowstone National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
5	Great Bear Rainforest	🇨🇦 Canada	~20%
6	Redwood National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
7	Wrangell-St. Elias National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
8	Pacific Rim National Park Reserve	🇨🇦 Canada	~20%
9	Padre Island National Seashore	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
10	Jasper National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~10%
11	Acadia National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
12	Banff National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~10%
13	Kluane National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~10%
14	Denali National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
15	El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
16	Olympic National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
17	Glacier National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
18	Point Pelee National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~10%
19	Grand Teton National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
20	Cape Breton Highlands National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
21	Isle Royale National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
22	Voyageurs National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
23	Katmai National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
24	Death Valley National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
25	Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
26	Celestún Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
27	Grand Canyon 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	Shenandoah National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
32	Great Smoky Mountains National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
33	Bahía de Loreto National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
34	Everglades National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
35	Big Cypress National Preserve	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
36	Yosemite National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
37	Saguaro National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%

Cities Where Found

#	City	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Ciudad Juárez	🇲🇽 México	~30%
2	Calgary	🇨🇦 Canada	~30%
3	Seattle	🇺🇸 United States	~30%
4	Vancouver	🇨🇦 Canada	~20%
5	San Francisco	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
6	Denver	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
7	Toronto	🇨🇦 Canada	~20%
8	Portland	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
9	Sacramento	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
10	San Diego	🇺🇸 United States	~20%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

#	Zoo / Centre	Country
1	Busch Gardens Tampa	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
2	San Diego Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
3	National Zoological Park	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
4	Ecomuseum Zoo	🇨🇦 Canada	In captivity
5	Bronx Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
6	Milwaukee County Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
7	Slimbridge Wetland Centre	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	In captivity
8	Antalya Zoo	🇹🇷 Türkiye	In captivity
9	Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
10	Saint Louis Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
11	Woodland Park Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
12	Franklin Park Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
13	Fort Worth Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
14	Oregon Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
15	Wilhelma	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
16	Centro Cicogne e Anatidi	🇮🇹 Italy	In captivity
17	Cologne Zoological Garden	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
18	Akron Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
19	Cleres Zoological Park	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
20	Stone Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
21	Tracy Aviary	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
22	Aquarium of the Pacific	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
23	Monterey Bay Aquarium	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
24	National Aviary	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
25	Texas Sealife Center	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
26	Cologne Zoo Aquarium	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity

Show all 26 Show fewer

Closest Relatives at Houston

Bucephala clangula

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Dendrocygna autumnalis

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Cairina moschata

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Anas platyrhynchos

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Anas fulvigula

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Spatula discors

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Alopochen aegyptiaca

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Aix sponsa

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Aythya collaris

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Cygnus atratus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Aythya affinis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Spatula clypeata

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Bufflehead in Houston?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bufflehead sighting in Houston on a given day, based on 45 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 235th most-seen of the 302 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Bufflehead in Houston?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bufflehead in Houston on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Bufflehead?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bufflehead sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Houston the best place to see a Bufflehead?

32nd of 35

Of the 35 cities where we can rate Bufflehead sightings, Houston ranks 32nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Ciudad Juárez (México, about 30%), Calgary (Canada, about 30%) and Seattle (United States, about 30%).

Where does the Bufflehead sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Bufflehead is recorded against all the birds logged in Houston (45 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

← Back to Houston

Bufflehead

About the Bufflehead

Sounds

Recent sightings of Bufflehead in Houston

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

Cities Where Found

Zoos & Centres Where Found

Closest Relatives at Houston

Common Goldeneye

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck

Muscovy Duck

Mallard

Mottled Duck

Blue-winged Teal

Egyptian Goose

Wood Duck

Ring-necked Duck

Black Swan

Lesser Scaup

Northern Shoveler

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Bufflehead in Houston?

When is the best time to see a Bufflehead in Houston?

What time of day is best to see a Bufflehead?

Is Houston the best place to see a Bufflehead?

Where does the Bufflehead sighting chance come from?