Despite being the smallest duck in North America (they grow to just over a foot in length), these birds have disproportionately large heads. On the males it is an iridescent purple and green on the front half and stark white on the back half. Their bodies are jet-black on their backs and bright white everywhere else. (The females are mostly brown with gray chests and stomachs.) These birds live in the old nests of woodpeckers, just like the goldeneyes, and can be found all over the southern half of the country and throughout most of Canada.