Home > Illustration > Wildlife > Birds > Waterfowl > Bufflehead Duck

Bufflehead Duck

Bufflehead Duck line art illustration (click image to enlarge)

Bufflehead Duck full color illustration (click image to enlarge)

Artist's notes:

The Bufflehead Duck was completed on 4/23/2009. Walking around Lake Merritt in Oakland I often see these gorgeous ducks from a distance - they tend to stay out in fairly far from shore. When I do happen to see them up close or through binoculars I'm always impressed by their contrasting light and dark colored heads, and when the light hits them the right way their colorful iridescence shine. This drawing is based on a photo by Ron Charest.

Information about the Bufflehead Duck:

The Bufflehead is a sea duck found on the east and west coasts of North America. They are smaller than other sea going birds with bodies around 13-16 inches long and weighing on average roughly 6-7 pounds. They're migratory birds wintering in protected coastal waters, estuaries and lakes not far from the coastline. The Bufflehead forages for food underwater feeding on insects and, in saltwater, crustaceans and mollusks. They also feed on plants and fish eggs. Their breeding grounds are the wooded lakes and ponds of Canada and Alaska. The name Bufflehead is a combination of 'Buffalo' and head referring to the oddly shaped head of the species.