Kentucky Ornithological Society

Comparison of resting female Canvasback and Redhead

Photos and text by David Roemer

Female diving ducks can pose an especially problematic identification challenge. In addition to the overall drab plumage and relative lack of conspicuous field marks, they are often observed from a great distance and with many birds resting with their heads tucked. With much practice however, most of these distant birds can be identified.

Due to overall dullness of plumage and lack of field marks, one must often rely on other features to identify these birds, specifically plumage patterns and structure. My old hard-cover Peterson field guide that I began birding with in the early '60s emphasized the importance of plumage patterns in identification of these birds, with all but two waterfowl plates being in grayscale (black and white).

The top two images on this page are of a female Canvasback, the lower two of Redheads. In the Canvasback, notice the angle of the forehead which slopes from the bill to the peak of the crown well behind the eye. This angle is apparent even in resting birds with the head tucked.

By comparison, notice the angle of the forehead in the resting Redheads, rising more abruptly from the bill to a peak in the crown generally above or even slightly forward of the eye. The crown is also more rounded and less angular than in Canvasback.

Plumage pattern is also an important clue here, with Canvasback showing a richly colored head and breast constrasting with a relatively pale body. Notice the relative lack of contrast overall in the plumage of the female Redheads, one of which is showing some albinism.

Another plumage feature which is sometimes apparent on resting female Redheads is the gray wing patch which is evident in the fourth image. The bill is a good clue when seen, with Canvasback typically showing an all dark bill where the bill of Redhead is paler with a contrastingly darker tip.

These birds were photographed at Tierra Verde, Florida, February 2005.