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 →
10–20% of wildlife watchers report a Bufflehead sighting in Olympic National Park, based on 5,216 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Olympic National Park
Common Goldeneye
Bucephala clangula
Barrow's Goldeneye
Bucephala islandica
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Surf Scoter
Melanitta perspicillata
Harlequin Duck
Histrionicus histrionicus
American Wigeon
Mareca americana
Common Merganser
Mergus merganser
American White-winged Scoter
Melanitta deglandi
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serrator
Common Teal
Anas crecca
Hooded Merganser
Lophodytes cucullatus
📅 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 Olympic National Park?
About 13% of wildlife watchers report a Bufflehead sighting in Olympic National Park, based on 5,216 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Bufflehead in Olympic National Park?
December has the highest sighting rate for Bufflehead in Olympic National Park in our monthly data.