White-Headed Duck

Oxyura leucocephala

Not Evaluated

It has not yet been assessed against the IUCN criteria. See full glossary

A small, dumpy diving duck with a short neck and a long, stiff tail that it holds cocked over the water. Its legs are set far back, which makes diving easy but leaves it clumsy on land. The breeding male has a white head with a black crown and nape and a swollen, bright blue bill; the female is greyish brown with a dark band below the eye.

Weight

580 g – 750 g

Size

43 cm – 48 cm

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Unknown

Estimated population

In the 1970s only a few dozen individuals were left, confined to a handful of lagoons in the south of Córdoba

FreshwaterOmnivore Diurnal Solitary Bird Freshwater

19countries 16parks42same family

Fun facts

GeneralIt came to the brink of extinction in Spain, down to 22 birds in 1977; today it is a recovery story.
Its recovery is one of the great successes of Spanish conservation: from a few dozen birds in the 1970s to a viable population, thanks to the protection of the Andalusian lagoons and a captive breeding programme begun at Doñana in 1984 that was already releasing 41 ducklings by 1989.
It rarely flies: taking off needs a long run across the water, and faced with danger it would rather dive.
The male's bill turns from grey to blue in the breeding season, and that change marks the start of the territorial fighting.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Shallow lagoons with dense marsh vegetation
Sexual maturity: Courtship begins in February and March; breeding ends in August

Sources consulted: IUCN Red List; SEO/BirdLife (III Atlas: Orueta 2022); Catálogo Español de Especies Amenazadas (RD 139/2011); Directiva Aves Anexo I; MITECO, Estrategia para la conservación de la cerceta pardilla, focha moruna y malvasía cabeciblanca (2014); Torres-Esquivias 2003, Quercus 207; Ballesteros et al. 2008; Aguilar y Sánchez 1982; Scopoli 1769