{"id":50895,"date":"2018-02-06T05:50:30","date_gmt":"2018-02-06T12:50:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=50895"},"modified":"2023-12-17T10:47:32","modified_gmt":"2023-12-17T17:47:32","slug":"drake-redhead-courtship-display","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/02\/06\/drake-redhead-courtship-display\/","title":{"rendered":"Drake Redhead Courtship Display"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"DrakeDrake Redhead beginning the Head-throw courtship display- Nikon D500, f6.3, 1\/800, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

In early January I made a quick trip down to the local pond at about 10 o’clock in the morning because the sun had peeked through the dark gray clouds and I wanted to see if anything was happening with the ducks, geese, coots, grebes and possibly the Peregrine Falcon I had found there a few days earlier.<\/p>\n

I’m glad that I made the trip down to the pond because I was able to photograph a drake Redhead exhibiting courtship display behavior several times as he tried to impress the hen that was nearby. I noticed that his neck and face sort of ballooned right before…<\/p>\n

\"RedheadRedhead drake exhibiting Head-throw display- Nikon D500, f6.3, 1\/800, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The drake Redhead would move his head back into the Head-throw posture. I have to say the female wasn’t even paying attention to him, she was just outside of the frame here with her head tucked under her wing and her eyes shut.<\/p>\n

\"RedheadRedhead drake showing extreme posture of Head-throw display- Nikon D500, f6.3, 1\/800, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The hen Redhead was really missing out on what I was seeing and photographing. This photo shows the drake in the most extreme posture of the Head-throw display behavior although I have read that sometimes the bill of the drake can touch the water in this position. Perhaps the hen wasn’t impressed but I certainly was!<\/p>\n

\"RedheadRedhead drake Kinked-Neck display- Nikon D500, f6.3, 1\/800, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

When the drake raised his head back up he gave what is called the Kinked-Neck display but to no avail because the hen Redhead didn’t even open her eyes.<\/p>\n

I guess I could wish that the Redhead had been closer when I photographed this redhead drake performing his courtship display and that the angle of light had been better but I was delighted to see and photograph the courtship behavior of this diving duck that morning.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a><\/span> to view more of my Redhead photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m glad that I made the trip down to the pond because I was able to photograph a drake Redhead exhibiting courtship display behavior several times as he tried to impress the hen that was nearby. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":119133,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,2460,709,26],"tags":[4004,2461,4226,2498,2158,4753,4483,126,6349,6351,4062,4347,4560,8018,2063,373],"class_list":["post-50895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-redheads","category-salt-lake-county-utah","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-aythya-americana","tag-behavior","tag-courting","tag-courtship-display","tag-diving-ducks","tag-drake","tag-ducks-2","tag-head-throw","tag-kinked-neck-display","tag-male","tag-mating-behavior","tag-redhead","tag-urban","tag-waterfowl","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/redhead-drake-displaying-mia-mcpherson-3054.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-deT","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":62769,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/01\/16\/photographing-winter-redheads-in-northern-utah\/","url_meta":{"origin":50895,"position":0},"title":"Photographing Winter Redheads in Northern Utah","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 16, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday I watched and photographed the Redhead drakes exhibiting Kinked-neck and Head-throw displays but once again they were too far away to get the high quality images I am seeking.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Redhead drakes and hens gathering on a pond, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/redhead-hens-and-drakes-winter-pond-mia-mcpherson-3473.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/redhead-hens-and-drakes-winter-pond-mia-mcpherson-3473.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Goldeneyes Have Started Their Courtship Displays","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 4, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm seeing plenty of goldeneyes around right now and I have also begun to see the male Common Goldeneyes performing their courtship displays.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Alert male Common Goldeneye in breeding plumage, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/common-goldeneye-male-breeding-plumage-mia-mcpherson-2517.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/common-goldeneye-male-breeding-plumage-mia-mcpherson-2517.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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McPherson","date":"July 30, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I enjoy viewing the image of the drake Redhead on the snowy January morning just as much as the drake Redhead photo on a clear February afternoon, they both show the ducks doing what ducks do no matter what the weather is doing.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Drake Redhead on a clear February afternoon, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/redhead-drake-winter-mia-mcpherson-3194.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/redhead-drake-winter-mia-mcpherson-3194.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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