New Observations Show that Multiple Bufflehead × Common Goldeneye Males Were Present in the Central Valley, California

Abstract

We report simultaneous observations in early 2025 of two hybrid Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) × Common Goldeneye (B. clangula) males on the American River in Sacramento County and at Stonegate Pond in adjacent Yolo County in the Central Valley, California. These observations correct apparently mistaken previous inferences by Airola et al. (2024) that a single hybrid bird moved between these two sites. We also report on a hybrid seen contemporaneously at the Sutter Bypass with a hybrid at the American River. Based on plumage similarity, and lack of simultaneous occurrence, it is possible that the hybrid that occupied Stonegate Pond may have moved 45 km to the Sutter Bypass. Thus, at least two hybrid Bufflehead × Common Goldeneye males, and possibly three based on plumages differences, appear to have occurred in the Sacramento area over 2022–2025.