Family: Anatidae, Ducks and Geese view all from this family

Description 16 1/2 -20" (42-51 cm). Male has white body, black back, and black-appearing (actually glossed with purple) head. Similar to male Common Goldeneye, but has more black on sides, stubbier bill, and crescent-shaped, rather than round, white spot in front of eye. Female gray with brown head, white collar, and (usually) orange-yellow bill. Both sexes differ from Common Goldeneye in having steeper forehead and smaller white wing patches.

Habitat Breeds on forested lakes and rivers; winters mainly on open bays and estuaries along coast.

Nesting 5-15 pale green eggs on a bed of down in a hollow tree or, in treeless areas, in a crevice among rocks.

Range Breeds in mountains from Alaska south to central California and Wyoming, and in northern Quebec and Labrador. Winters along Pacific Coast from Alaska south to California and in smaller numbers along Atlantic from Maritime Provinces south to Long Island. Also breeds in western Greenland and Iceland.

Voice   Soft grunts and croaks during courtship; otherwise usually silent.

Discussion Barrow's Goldeneye favors alpine lakes, often breeding at elevations of 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) or more. It is usually found in smaller flocks than the Common Goldeneye. It feeds almost entirely on mollusks obtained by diving, but also takes an occasional snail, sea urchin, or marine worm. While there are well over a million Common Goldeneyes in North America, the population of Barrow's Goldeneyes is less than 200,000. Its patchy distribution suggests that it is an ancient species that was once more widespread and is now in decline. In the East, it is greatly outnumbered by the Common Goldeneye but may occur in flocks of hundreds in the Canadian Maritimes.