Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)Where and when to see it in the UK
Status not yet classified · reporting peaks March · Ducks, Swans, and Geese · BOU category AE
Peak months
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (grid squares, place names from OS Open Names). Northern Ireland place names: OSNI Open Data, OGL v3.0. County and country boundaries: Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence v3.0. Coastline: Natural Earth. Bird records from the data partners listed here.
Bufflehead has been recorded in 39 of the 2,971 10 km squares covering UK land (1%) in records to 2026. Its strongest squares are in England, Scotland and Wales. Reporting peaks in March.
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, LC)
View on the IUCN Red List- Very high
- 100% or more of visits
- High
- 20% to 100%
- Moderate
- <1% to 20%
- Low
- under <1%
- Surveyed, not recorded
- at least 20 qualifying visits, no record
- Insufficient records
- too few visits to say
- Lighter fill
- Few visits, lower confidence
- Small dot
- Occasional: a single record, or out of season
Relative to this species' best squares (how classes are calculated)
Seasonality
| Month | Relative to peak | Share of visits | Typical class |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 18% | <1% | Very high |
| February | 41% | <1% | Moderate |
| March | 100% | <1% | Moderate |
| April | 73% | <1% | Very high |
| May | 7% | <1% | Low |
| June | 10% | <1% | Low |
| July | 0% | <1% | Very high |
| August | 2% | <1% | Very high |
| September | 0% | <1% | Very high |
| October | 4% | <1% | Very high |
| November | 30% | <1% | Very high |
| December | 5% | <1% | Very high |
Squares with the highest reporting rate in March
| Square | Where | Share of visits | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| SY58 | Dorset, England | 100% | Very high |
| NK02 | Aberdeenshire, Scotland | 20% | High |
| NT19 | Fife, Scotland | 15% | Moderate |
| NO10 | Perth and Kinross, Scotland | 7% | Moderate |
| SK90 | Rutland, England | <1% | Moderate |
| SY68 | Dorset, England | <1% | Moderate |
| SK80 | Rutland, England | <1% | Low |
| TF11 | Lincolnshire, England | <1% | Low |
| SW62 | Cornwall, England | <1% | Low |
| HT93 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | <1% | Insufficient records |