The Common Goldeneye is one of the active diving ducks. These sea ducks may also be found in bays, lakes, or rivers. They eat mostly small aquatic animals and a variety of small plants. The male has a white body with a black back and tail ends as well as an iridescent black and green head. It has a round white spot at the base of the bill on its cheek. It has yellow eyes and a sloped forehead. The bill color is mostly black. This photo of a male Goldeneye was taken at Salt Pond in Falmouth. (Remember you can click for a full-sized image.)
According to Birds of New England, by Wayne Petersen and Roger Burrows, "the courtship display of the male Common Goldeneye looks much like an avian slapstick routine. In one of the routines, he arches his puffy head backwards until his forehead seems to touch his back, then he catapults his head forward while producing a nasal peent sound." Click here for sound of male provided by Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
This photo of a female Goldeneye was taken at Childs River in East Falmouth. The female Goldeneye
has a mostly gray body with a white collar and a milk chocolate brown head with yellow eyes. The female bill is usually all black and sometimes with a touch of yellow at the tip.
Here are two Common Goldeneyes in flight over Quissett Harbor.
Enjoy!
Craig Gibson
Ed. Note: Craig has just returned from a highly successful birding expedition to San Diego. See pictures of the many species he saw there on the San Diego page of his photo site.
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