Common goldeneye

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Common goldeneye
Adult male
Adult female

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Bucephala
Species:
B. clangula
Binomial name
Bucephala clangula
Subspecies
  • B. c. clangula (Linnaeus, 1758)

(Eurasian goldeneye)

(American goldeneye)

Synonyms
  • Anas bucephala Linnaeus, 1758
  • Anas glaucion Linnaeus, 1758
  • Clangula clangula (Linnaeus, 1758)
Bucephala clangula Pair
Female goldeneye with chicks

The common goldeneye or simply goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) is a medium-sized

sea duck of the genus Bucephala, the goldeneyes. Its closest relative is the similar Barrow's goldeneye.[2] The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek boukephalos ("bullheaded", from bous, "bull " and kephale, "head"), a reference to the bulbous head shape of the bufflehead. The species name is derived from the Latin clangere ("to resound").[3]

Common goldeneyes are aggressive and territorial ducks, and have elaborate courtship displays.[2]

Description

Adult males range from 45–51 cm (18–20 in) and weigh approximately 1,000 g (2.2 lb), while females range from 40–50 cm (16–20 in) and weigh approximately 800 g (1.8 lb).[2] The common goldeneye has a wingspan of 77–83 cm (30–33 in).[4] The species is named for its golden-yellow eyes. Adult males have a dark head with a greenish gloss and a circular white patch below the eye, a dark back and a white neck and belly. Adult females have a brown head and a mostly grey body. Their legs and feet are orange-yellow.

Two subspecies are generally recognized: the nominate Eurasian subspecies Bucephala clangula clangula and the North American B. c. americana. Americana has a longer and thicker bill than clangula.[5]

Habitat and breeding

Their breeding habitat is the

Baltic States, and northern Russia. They are migratory and most winter in protected coastal waters or open inland waters at more temperate latitudes.[2] Naturally, they nest in cavities in large trees, where they return year after year,[6] though they will readily use nest boxes as well.[7]

Natural tree cavities chosen for nest sites include those made by broken limbs and those made by large woodpeckers, specifically pileated woodpeckers or black woodpeckers.[8] Average egg size is a breadth of 42.6–44.0 mm (1.68–1.73 in), a length of 58.1–60.6 mm (2.29–2.39 in) and a weight of 61.2–66.6 g (2.16–2.35 oz).[2] The incubation period ranges from 28 to 32 days. The female does all the incubating and is abandoned by the male about 1 to 2 weeks into incubation. The young remain in the nest for about 24–36 hours. Brood parasitism is quite common with other common goldeneyes,[9] and occurs less frequently with other duck species. The broods commonly start to mix with other females' broods as they become more independent or are abandoned by their mothers.[10] Goldeneye young have been known to be competitively killed by other goldeneye mothers, common loons and red-necked grebes.[2] The young are capable of flight at 55–65 days of age.

Diet and predators

Common goldeneyes are diving birds that forage under water. Year-round, about 32% of their prey is

molluscs.[11] Insects are the predominant prey while nesting and crustaceans are the predominant prey during migration and winter. Locally, fish eggs and aquatic plants
can be important foods.

They themselves may fall prey to various

Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
).

Conservation

The common goldeneye is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (

duck hunters in North America during the 1970s, representing slightly less than 4% of the total waterfowl killed in Canada during that period, and less than 1% of the total waterfowl killed in the US.[12] Both the breeding and winter habitats of these birds have been degraded by clearance and pollution. However, the common goldeneye in North America is known to derive short-term benefits from lake acidification.[13]

Eggs, Collection Museum Wiesbaden

Gallery

References

External links