All birds Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl
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Common Goldeneye
Bucephala clangula
Here December to March.
Recorded by Bruce Lagerquist. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, via xeno-canto, trimmed and volume evened out.
Look for
- Males have a black head and back, with a white chest and white sides.
- The male has a round white spot on his face, right in front of his yellow eye.
- Females have a dark brown head and a gray body. Their black bill often has a yellow tip.
A little about it
Common Goldeneyes are winter ducks here. You can find them from December to March. They come late in fall and leave early in spring. Males tend to spend the winter farther north than females do.
They dive under the water to find food. When a flock feeds, all the birds in one part of it may dive at the same time. They eat crayfish, small fish, frogs, and even leeches. In summer, they eat mostly water bugs.
Pairs form mostly in late winter. To show off for a female, a male throws his head way back so his bill points at the sky. As he does it, he gives a high, sharp call.
Goldeneyes nest in holes in big trees, 5 to 60 feet up, and they use nest boxes too. The mother lays 8 to 11 greenish eggs. When she leaves the nest, she tucks soft down feathers over them. The babies leave the nest 1 or 2 days after they hatch, and she leads them to the water.
Fun fact
A goldeneye's wings make a whistling sound when it flies. That's why hunters gave it the nickname "Whistler."
When it's here
- January: here
- February: here
- March: here
- April: a few
- May: not here
- June: not here
- July: not here
- August: not here
- September: not here
- October: not here
- November: a few
- December: here
Taller bars mean more sightings. Most often seen in December.
How big
18 to 23 inches. About as big as a crow, or a Mallard.
Where to look
Lakes and rivers with open water. Look for a small flock out on the water, diving over and over.
People have spotted it at Lake Overholser, Lake Hefner, Arcadia Lake.
Could it be something else?
Bufflehead
The male is black and white too, with white on his head. A Bufflehead is much smaller, and his white patch looks like a scarf. A male goldeneye has just a round white spot in front of the eye.
Common Merganser
The female also has a gray body and a brown head. Her head is a brighter rusty color, with a sharp white throat, and her bill is long and narrow.
More photos
Where these facts come from
- Audubon Guide to North American Birds
- When it's here: Sightings shared on iNaturalist in the 8 counties, all years.