Bufflehead vs Canadian beaver

Bucephala albeola compared with Castor canadensis

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bufflehead	Canadian beaver
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Anatidae	Castoridae (Beavers)
Genus	Bucephala	Castor (Beavers)
Species	Bucephala albeola	Castor canadensis

Evolutionary Relationship

Bufflehead and Canadian beaver share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

View Phylum: Chordata

Conservation Status

Bufflehead

NE — Not Evaluated

Canadian beaver

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~15.0M

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bufflehead	Canadian beaver
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	1.0 m
Average Weight	—	25.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bufflehead

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found across Europe (11 countries) and North America (United States).

Canadian beaver

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, forests, and vegetated habitats.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (15 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Argentina, Chile).

Bufflehead

Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) is classified as Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List. Not yet evaluated against IUCN Red List criteria. Conservation status remains to be determined.

The largest rodent in North America, Canadian beavers weigh up to 32 kg and are master ecosystem engineers inhabiting rivers, lakes, and wetlands across Canada and the northern United States. By felling trees and constructing dams up to hundreds of meters long, beavers create ponds that provide habitat for hundreds of species. Their lodges and canals transform entire watersheds. Once nearly hunted to extinction for their fur, beaver populations have recovered strongly.