Goldeneye

The Common Goldeneye is a striking medium-sized duck with a distinctive large, rounded head. Males have a dark green-black head with a circular white patch near the bill, contrasting with a white body and black back. The eyes are bright golden-yellow, giving the species its name.

Females are more subdued, with a chocolate-brown head, grey body, and white collar. Both sexes have a black bill, orange legs, and white wing patches visible in flight.

Once breeding is complete, male Goldeneyes molt into a basic plumage similar to the female, although the non-breeding male’s head is a darker shade of brown-black, and the bold wing patterning remains.

Juvenile Goldeneyes are similar to females and may be easily confused with non-breeding males. Immature birds lack the yellow bill tip seen in adult females, and their eyes are darker brown.

Common Goldeneyes inhabit boreal forests near lakes, rivers, and coastal areas across North America, Europe, and Asia. They breed in taiga regions, nesting in tree cavities near water bodies.

During winter, they migrate to ice-free coastal areas and inland waters. They are common in North America along both coasts and the Great Lakes. In Europe, they winter along the Baltic and North Sea coasts and on large inland lakes.

Goldeneyes’ breeding territories within the US include much of inland Alaska, with an absence in the extreme coastal regions. They also breed in forested regions throughout Canada, mainly concentrated in the region from Labrador through central Ontario to British Columbia.

In winter, up to 21,000 individuals arrive across the UK from northern breeding territories in Scandinavia, and the best chances of a sighting are at lakes and sheltered bays in north and western England between August and March.