Our Bird Profile series highlights a species that is migrating through, breeding, or is a year-round resident of Wisconsin that can be found at Schlitz Audubon or in your backyard.
Name
Common Goldeneye, Bucephala clangula
Basic Description & Appearance
The Common Goldeneye, also called “whistler” for the sound they make during flight, is a medium-size diving duck. Males measure about 45-51 cm and are sexually dimorphic in size and plumage compared with females, which are a bit smaller, and both are smaller than a Mallard. The male Goldeneye is round bodied with a short neck and a white spot behind the bill. They have a crisp black and white body and wings, and a green-black head, while female Goldeneyes have a gray body and chocolate brown head. Males have a distinctive, golden-colored eye, from which Goldeneye gets their name, while the female’s eye is a pale yellow.
Vocalization & Displays
Males are generally silent, but when performing courtship displays, make a short single peent call. Their displays include complex performances called head-throw, bowsprit, masthead, the distinctive head-throw-kick, in which the male bends backwards to touch his rump, then thrusts forward to kick water with his feet, and more.
Females make a croaking gack sound when they are disturbed, or a series of short cuk sounds when nest prospecting or circling a lake.
Habitat & Nesting
The Common Goldeneyes from pair bonds from winter through spring, and male birds will perform courtship displays beginning in December through January. Inexperienced females will scout for nests in summer, while females that have been in a pair bond will often remain faithful to their previous nest site. Goldeneye chicks will leave the nest after one day after hatching.
They breed throughout the forested regions of Canada and into Alaska, preferring lakes, pools, and rivers with lots of invertebrates, surrounded by conifer forests. The forests provide nesting cavities, where they lay their eggs.
The Common Goldeneye’s non-breeding range includes much of the U.S. where they prefer estuaries, lakes, and coastal areas. Goldeneye overwinter on the Great Lakes where they can find food in the non-frozen water. They don’t overwinter in the southeast, however, and are found year-round in the border areas between the U.S and Canada.
Diet & Foraging
The Common Goldeneye is a diving duck and spends time on the surface of a water body, diving in shallow water near the shore to forage for insects, mollusks, crustaceans, and occasionally plants, seeds, and fish.
When & Where to Find at Schlitz Audubon
Find along the shores of Lake Michigan mostly from November through April, on the surface of the water near the shore. You will likely need a scope or binoculars to see them.
Other Fun Facts
- The male Goldeneye has 14 distinct courtship displays.
- Goldeneye breed in nest boxes.
- Chicks often join other Goldeneye broods after hatching, forming mixed-brood “creches.”
