White-headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala)
About the White-headed Duck
The white-headed duck (Oxyura leucocephala) is a small diving duck some 45 cm (18 in) long. The male has a white head with black crown, a blue bill, and reddish-grey plumage. The female has a dark bill and rather duller colouring. Its breeding habitat is lakes with open water and dense vegetation at the margin. It dives under water and feeds on aquatic vegetation as well as some animal matter. It is more likely to swim away from a perceived threat than to fly. This duck is known from Spain, North Africa, Western Asia and Central Asia. Populations are declining, mostly due to loss of habitat and pollution, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated the bird's status as "endangered".
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 8 recordings for this species: 3 CC BY-NC-SA. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in Morocco, Spain in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Other birds you can hear here
- African Reed WarblerAcrocephalus baeticatusrecording
- Alpine ChoughPyrrhocorax graculusrecording
- Black KiteMilvus migransrecording
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochrurosrecording
- Black-crowned Night HeronNycticorax nycticoraxrecording
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosarecording
These are the birds recorded alongside it, not close relatives — the site holds no other member of its genus or family yet.