What is "bufflehead"

Buffel duck \Buf"fel duck\ (b[u^]f"f[e^]l d[u^]k`). [See Buffalo.] (Zo["o]l.) A small duck ( Charitonetta albeola); the spirit duck, or butterball. The head of the male is covered with numerous elongated feathers, and thus appears large. Called also bufflehead.

small North American duck, 1858 (buffle-headed duck attested from 1831), from buffle (1510s), obsolete variant of buffalo (n.) + head (n.). So called for its large head; earlier the noun meant "stupid person" (1650s; compare buffle-headed "big-headed," also "foolish," 1650s).

n. 1 A duck in the goldeneye genus, ''Bucephala albeola''. 2 (context obsolete English) One who has a large head; a heavy, stupid fellow.

n. small North American diving duck; males have bushy head plumage [syn: butterball, dipper, Bucephela albeola]

The bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) is a small American sea duck of the genus Bucephala, the goldeneyes. This species was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 as Anas albeola.

The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek boukephalos, "bullheaded", from bous, "bull " and kephale, "head", a reference to the oddly bulbous head shape of the species. The species name albeola is from Latin albus, "white". The English name is a combination of buffalo and head, again referring to the head shape. This is most noticeable when the male puffs out the feathers on the head, thus greatly increasing the apparent size of the head.