Bufflehead
BuffleheadBuffleheadBuffleheadBufflehead

Bufflehead

Bucephala albeola

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
<5% · Rare
overall probability at Yosemite National Park
7 Verified records at Yosemite National Park
February Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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 Yosemite National Park, based on 7 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Yosemite National Park

Common Goldeneye
LC

Common Goldeneye

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Bucephala clangula

Insufficient data
Mallard
LC

Mallard

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anas platyrhynchos

20–30% · Possible
Common Merganser
LC

Common Merganser

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Mergus merganser

10–20% · With luck
Canada Goose
LC

Canada Goose

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Branta canadensis

5–10% · Rare
Wood Duck
LC

Wood Duck

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aix sponsa

<5% · Rare
Green-winged Teal

Green-winged Teal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anas carolinensis

Insufficient data
Blue-winged Teal
LC

Blue-winged Teal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spatula discors

Insufficient data
Common Teal
LC

Common Teal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anas crecca

<5% · Rare
Ring-necked Duck
LC

Ring-necked Duck

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aythya collaris

<5% · Rare
Gadwall
LC

Gadwall

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Mareca strepera

<5% · Rare
Hooded Merganser
LC

Hooded Merganser

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lophodytes cucullatus

Insufficient data
Ruddy Duck
LC

Ruddy Duck

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Oxyura jamaicensis

Insufficient data

📅 Monthly Probability

<5
Jan
<5
Feb
<5
Mar
<5
Apr
<5
May
<5
Jun
<5
Jul
<5
Aug
<5
Sep
<5
Oct
<5
Nov
<5
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

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

# Park Country Probability
1 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
50–60%
2 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
20–30%
3 Wood Buffalo National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
20–30%
4 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
5 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
20–30%
6 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
20–30%
7 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
8 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
9 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
10 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
11 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
12 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
13 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
14 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
15 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
16 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
17 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
18 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
5–10%
19 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
20 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
21 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
22 Katmai National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
23 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
24 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
25 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
26 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
27 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
28 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
29 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
30 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
31 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
32 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
33 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
34 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
35 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
36 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
37 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
38 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
39 Gates of the Arctic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
40 Nahanni National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
41 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
Insufficient data
42 Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
43 Kenai Fjords National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
44 Guadalupe Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
45 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
46 Badlands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
47 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
48 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Bufflehead in Yosemite National Park?

About 0% of wildlife watchers report a Bufflehead sighting in Yosemite National Park, based on 7 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Bufflehead in Yosemite National Park?

February has the highest sighting rate for Bufflehead in Yosemite National Park in our monthly data.

← Back to Yosemite National Park