Bufflehead
Bucephala albeola
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderAnseriformes
- FamilyAnatidae (Anàtids)
- GenusBucephala (Goldeneyes and Bufflehead)
- SpeciesBucephala albeola (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. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Bufflehead sighting in Rocky Mountain National Park, based on 105 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Rocky Mountain National Park
Common Goldeneye
Bucephala clangula
Barrow's Goldeneye
Bucephala islandica
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
Ring-necked Duck
Aythya collaris
Common Merganser
Mergus merganser
Gadwall
Mareca strepera
Lesser Scaup
Aythya affinis
American Wigeon
Mareca americana
Common Teal
Anas crecca
Blue-winged Teal
Spatula discors
Cackling Goose
Branta hutchinsii
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
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
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Bufflehead in Rocky Mountain National Park?
About 2% of wildlife watchers report a Bufflehead sighting in Rocky Mountain National Park, based on 105 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Bufflehead in Rocky Mountain National Park?
February has the highest sighting rate for Bufflehead in Rocky Mountain National Park in our monthly data.