bufflehead

American  

[buhf-uhl-hed] / ˈbʌf əlˌhɛd /

noun

1. a small North American duck, Bucephala albeola, the male of which has bushy head plumage.

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bufflehead British  

/ ˈbʌfəlˌhɛd /

noun

1. Also called: butterball.  a small North American diving duck, Bucephala (or Glaucionetta ) albeola : the male has black-and-white plumage and a fluffy head

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Other Word Forms

• buffleheaded adjective

Etymology

Origin of bufflehead

1855–60, buffle ( buff ¹ ) + head

Example Sentences

Potential bird sightings include gadwalls and buffleheads, dazzling ducks like the common goldeneye and the red-breasted merganser and tons of gulls, including the laughing gull and the ring-billed gull.

From New York Times

In addition to Canada geese and mallards, in recent weeks Birky Pond has hosted hooded mergansers, bufflehead, redhead ducks, canvasbacks, northern shovelers, scaup and ring-necked ducks, to name a few.

From Washington Times

“It was all different species - mostly bluebills, but there were mallards, buffleheads, teal. It must have been an epic migration.”

From Washington Times

“It was all different species — mostly bluebills, but there were mallards, buffleheads, teal. It must have been an epic migration.”

From Seattle Times

And, in fact some swimmers do come in the winter: buffleheads, ring-necked ducks, mergansers and other waterfowl visiting from the north.

From New York Times