The Common Goldeneye, Bucephala clangula, has a black head with a greenish tinge. Olive-green to blue-green. Female. Behavior. For example a bird photographed in Ontario in Nov (photos here) …
The common goldeneye female will often abandon her nest soon after the chicks hatch. Juvenile female Common Goldeneyes are much more likely than adults to show drab yellow or olive color over most of the bill. The bill is blackish, becoming yellow near the tip, and the legs and feet are yellowish. Below its yellow eyes is a prominent round white spot.
One of the most conspicuous and easily judged differences is bill color – Common Goldeneye has a black bill with a small yellowish patch at the tip, while Barrow’s has the bill almost entirely orange-yellow. These females were on a pond at Crystal Lake Fish Hatchery (Shasta County CA). Common Goldeneye Identification. Its breast is … Medium-sized duck with a triangular head and a sloping bill. On the other hand, Shai Mitra (in email) reports experience similar to mine – that in the Long Island, NY to Rhode Island region yellow-billed female Common Goldeneyes are rarer than female Barrow’s. Distinguishing Common and Barrow’s Goldeneyes is always a challenge, and particularly so when the bird is a female. It has a steep forehead and a black bill. Female common goldeneyes have chocolate brown heads, a whitish neckband, and speckled gray back and sides.
Female Common Goldeneyes do … Female common goldeneyes are gray-bodied with brown heads, and no cheek spot. Female covers eggs with down when ... Young. Common Goldeneyes are diving ducks and forage mostly under water. Females have a warm brown head … Fortunately the chicks are independent and can care for themselves so will join the brood of another female. Adult male. Diet. Feeding Behavior. Common Goldeneye. usually 8-11, sometimes 5-17. On the breeding grounds, aquatic insects make up the bulk of the diet, and in fact, goldeneyes prefer ponds that... Nesting. Males are white on the throat, back and flanks, dark above, and have a brilliant green head featuring a large, white rounded mark on the cheek—a reliable field mark. Forages mostly underwater; rarely by dabbling or up-ending in shallow water. Body is mostly white with white windows along the folded wing. The males were with them and did help confirm their identity. Incubation is by female, usually 29-30 days. Medium-sized grayish-brown duck with a triangular head and a sloping bill. The upper wings are brownish-black with the middle five secondaries colored white.
Eggs.