Our Bonanza rolls on! We're adding new birds each day until we reach our 500th Birdorable species! Today's Bonanza bird is the White-headed Duck.

White-headed Ducks are diving ducks. This means that they dive under the water for food. They are omnivorous, though they often prefer vegetation to taking prey. They are found in freshwater habitat in North Africa, Spain, and across central Asia.

White-headed Duck by Ferran Pestaña (CC BY-SA 2.0)

White-headed Ducks are in the "stiff-tailed" duck subfamily. This grouping includes the Ruddy Duck and the extinct New Zealand Stiff-tailed Duck.

Tomorrow's new species is considered to be a specialty for birders visiting south Texas. The name of this bird is an onomatopoeia for its loud song.

Our Bonanza hits the water today with our 477th species, the Common Goldeneye.

Common Goldeneyes are sea ducks with a broad global range. They breed across northern forests in Canada, Scandinavia, Russia, and China. They winter across much of North America and in parts of Europe and Asia south of their breeding range.

Common Goldeneye by Stefan Berndtsson (CC BY 2.0)

Common Goldeneyes nest in tree cavities. They will also use nest boxes. When it is time to fledge, the ducklings leave the cavity nest and fall to the ground. Sometimes duckling goldeneyes may be raised by unrelated adults. This can happen one of two ways. First, female goldeneyes may lay eggs in the nests of other goldeneyes. Another familial mix-up can occur when females with ducklings get into territory fights with other families. As the adult female ducks fight, the ducklings can get mixed up. Once the fight is over and each family swims away, ducklings may end up with a different brood.

Tomorrow we'll add a colorful species, named for the flower-like color of the male's head, found in India and Southeast Asia.

Happy Independence Day to all our American readers! As we continue with our exciting 2013 Bonanza, we're thrilled to be adding new birds daily throughout July. Today, we celebrate by introducing the American Wigeon, a special species as we approach our 500th Birdorable bird.

The American Wigeon is a striking species, particularly noted for its stunning male breeding plumage. One of the most distinctive features of the male American Wigeon is the shiny, thick green eyestripe that graces the cheeks, coupled with a prominent white stripe that extends from the top of the bill to the crown of the head. This unique pattern gives the bird a distinguished "bald" look, which was the inspiration behind its former name, the Baldpate, with 'pate' being an old term for 'head'.

These beautiful ducks belong to the category of dabbling ducks, a group known for their unique feeding technique. Unlike diving ducks that submerge completely, dabbling ducks feed by tipping forward in the water to graze on vegetation at the bottom of shallow waters. The American Wigeon, in particular, has a diet that is almost entirely vegetarian. This preference for plant matter sets them apart from many other duck species and is a fascinating aspect of their natural history.

American Wigeon by Tony Hisgett (CC BY 2.0)

Our next new Birdorable species is an over-sized kingfisher! Come back tomorrow to find out what it is!

With their special water-resistant plumage, ducks are made for water. But did you know that several species of duck actually require trees when it comes to breeding? Some ducks are cavity nesters. We've recently added one of these cute little cavity-nesting ducks to Birdorable. The Bufflehead is one of the smallest species of duck to live in North America. They're just about 14 inches long, and they use cavities excavated by Northern Flicker woodpeckers! They also use nestboxes, as in the photo below.

Besides the Bufflehead, some other ducks that nest in cavities or nest boxes are: Hooded Merganser; Black-bellied Whistling Duck; Wood Duck; Common Goldeneye; and Common Merganser.

1. Unique Feeding Technique

Northern Shovelers utilize their uniquely-shaped bills to sift through the water for crustaceans, making feeding an efficient endeavor.

2. Widespread Distribution

The Northern Shoveler boasts a widespread distribution, with populations found in parts of the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia, illustrating their adaptability to various habitats.

3. Shoveler Species Family

The Northern Shoveler shares its unique bill shape with three other closely related species: the Cape Shoveler, the Australasian Shoveler, and the Red Shoveler.

4. Hybridization Habits

This species is known for its ability to hybridize with several other ducks, including the Blue-winged Teal, Mallard, Gadwall, Northern Pintail, and Wood Duck, showcasing its diverse genetic compatibility.

5. Distinctive Wing Sound

A distinctive rattling noise can be heard from the wings of Northern Shovelers as they take flight, a unique auditory characteristic of the species.

6. Territorial Behavior

Northern Shovelers display a somewhat territorial nature, especially during the nesting season. Males are known to defend their territory more vigorously than other dabbling ducks.

7. Birdorable Bird

The Northern Shoveler is one of our cute Birdorable birds! The Northern Shoveler was added to Birdorable on December 7th, 2010.

For 18 days we're adding a new Birdorable bird every day as part of our Birdorable Bonanza 2010. Today's bird is the North American Wood Duck. Male Wood Ducks, like our new Birdorable, are beautifully plumaged. Iridescent green heads, brick-red breasts and sandy flanks are just part of the multicolored story.

Wood Ducks nest in trees, or nest boxes. They are considered perching ducks, and it is not uncommon to see them perched high up in trees.

Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) by musicarver

Tomorrow's bird likes to show off his red epaulets while calling. Can you guess what it is?

The Mallard is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable of all ducks. They are dabbling ducks who breed throughout the temperate and sub-tropical areas of North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, where they are invasive. The Birdorable Mallard is also one of the most 'familiar' of our cute birds - they appear in several different designs.

If you like our Birdorable Mallard you may also like our other ducks and geese.

This week's featured t-shirt design is our cute Birdorable Northern Pintail, a beautiful large duck with a long pointed tail. The bird breeds across northern areas of North America, Europe and Asia and in winter migrates as far south as Hawaii, Central America, sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The duck is shown here on a men's basic long sleeve shirt and women's EDUN LIVE t-shirt.

The Redhead is a medium-sized duck that lives in western North America. Mallards have a much larger range and live across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. This design asks the eternal question: Are Redheads Better? Than Mallards, that is ... Cute gifts here for birdwatchers, duck fans and redheaded bird lovers.

Don't you love Redheads? This week's featured t-shirt is this I Love Redheads design with our Birdorable Redhead! This medium-sized diving duck breeds in western North America and spends the winter in southern and north-eastern United States, the Great Lakes area, Mexico and the Caribbean. We saw a couple of Redheads the other day while birding along Lake Michigan here in Illinois.

Shown here is our Basic American Apparel T-Shirt which is made in the USA.