Bird name:

Barrow's Goldeneye

Bucephala islandica

Order

ANSERIFORMES

Family

Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)

Code 4

BAGO

Code 6

BUCISL

ITIS

175144

Breeding Location:

Coastal ponds, Wetlands

Breeding Type:

Monogamous

Breeding Population:

Uncommon to fairly common

Egg Color:

Pale olive or blue green

Number of Eggs:

5 - 15

Incubation Days:

28 - 34

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Cavity nester. Use cavities in cliffs, natural tree cavities and old woodpecker holes., Lined with grasses and down.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

Barrow's Goldeneye: Medium-sized diving duck with black upperparts, contrasting white shoulder bars, and white underparts. Head is large, glossy, and purple-black with golden yellow eyes and a crescent-shaped white patch behind a usually dark bill. White wing patches are visible in flight. Female has dark brown hood, white collar, dark gray body, white wing patches, and usually yellow-orange bill. Juvenile resembles female but has darker bill; juvenile male has a faint white crescent on face.

Range and Habitat

Barrow's Goldeneye: Breeds in Alaska, western Canada, and the northwest U.S.; also breeds in eastern Canada. Spends winters from southern Alaska, south along coast to central California, and locally from southern British Columbia and northern Montana, south to southwestern Arizona, Utah, and Colorado; winters along east coast. Preferred habitats include open lakes and small ponds, inland lakes and rivers; winters almost exclusively on saltwater.

Breeding and Nesting

Barrow's Goldeneye: Five to fifteen pale olive or blue green eggs are laid in a nest in a tree or rock cavity up to 50 feet above the ground; may nest on the ground under a bush. Nest is built by the female and lined with down and grass. Incubation ranges from 28 to 34 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Barrow's Goldeneye: In inland areas during summer and fall, feeds on aquatic insects, crustaceans, and aquatic plants. Along coastal wintering grounds, feeds largely on crustaceans, mollusks, small fish, and some plant material; forages by diving from the surface.

Vocalization

Barrow's Goldeneye: Makes a soft "ka-kaa" during courtship.

Similar Species

Barrow's Goldeneye: Male Common Goldeneye has round (not crescent) spot between eye and bill and glossy green head.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Collar

Similar to the upper part of the human neck, located at the back of the crown.

Face

The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.

Shoulder

The short feathers overlying the median secondary coverts on the top of the wing. They are located near the back and can be seen as the “first row” of feathers on the birds wing. They are also called marginal coverts and lesser secondary coverts.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America