Common Goldeneye

Bucephala clangula (Linnaeus, 1758)

45–51 cmLength70 cmWingspan919 gWeight

It has golden-yellow eyes, and the male has a black head with a green metallic gloss and a single round white patch below the eye.

Busiest months: January and March · Most records: United States, Canada, United Kingdom

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Eyes golden-yellow
Male has a round white patch below the eye
Male has a dark head with a green metallic gloss
Male has a dark back, and white neck and belly

Male, female and young

Female has a rufous head and mostly gray body; male slightly larger, about 1,000 g, compared with about 800 g for female.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: January and March · Most records: United States, Canada, United Kingdom

Common Goldeneye has been recorded at 1,773 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 63 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Calgary – Carburn ParkCanada12,411 records
Calgary – Inglewood Bird SanctuaryCanada10,575 records
Tommy Thompson ParkCanada9,782 records

More places

Toronto – Colonel Samuel Smith ParkCanada8,550 records
Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary, Lincoln Park, ChicagoUnited States7,625 records
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWRUnited States6,974 records
North Vancouver – Maplewood Flats Conservation AreaCanada5,878 records
Parker River NWRUnited States5,550 records
Riverlands Migratory Bird SanctuaryUnited States5,384 records
Burlington – LaSalle Park/MarinaCanada5,146 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United States Canada United Kingdom Sweden Finland Norway Poland Germany

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The common goldeneye or simply goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) is a medium-sized sea duck of the genus Bucephala, the goldeneyes. Its closest relative is the similar Barrow's goldeneye. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek boukephalos ("bullheaded", from bous, "bull" and kephale, "head"), a reference to the bulbous head shape of the bufflehead.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Common Goldeneye?

The Common Goldeneye is about 45–51 cm long, with a wingspan of 70 cm and weighs around 919 g.

Where does the Common Goldeneye live?

Its breeding range: North America, Palearctic: subarctic from Scotland and Scandinavia to Sakhalin and Kamchatka (southeastern Russia), in south through northern Kazakhstan, northern Mongolia and Heilongjiang (northeastern China); western Alaskan mainland to Labrador and New Brunswick, in south through northern tier of contiguous USA. It is most often recorded in United States, Canada and United Kingdom.

When is the best time to see the Common Goldeneye?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January and March (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Common Goldeneye endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Common Goldeneye as Least Concern.

What does the Common Goldeneye eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Common Goldeneye in?

It belongs to the family Ducks, Geese, Swans (Anatidae), order Anseriformes.

At a glance

Length: 45–51 cm
Wingspan: 70 cm
Weight: 919 g
Habitat: Wetland
Diet: Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle: On the water surface
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 209 mm
Tail: 82 mm
Bill: 38 mm
Tarsus: 34 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

North America, Palearctic: subarctic from Scotland and Scandinavia to Sakhalin and Kamchatka (southeastern Russia), in south through northern Kazakhstan, northern Mongolia and Heilongjiang (northeastern China); western Alaskan mainland to Labrador and New Brunswick, in south through northern tier of contiguous USA

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 1

Bucephala clangula clangula subarctic from Scotland and Scandinavia to Sakhalin and Kamchatka (se Russia), in s through n Kazakhstan, n Mongolia and Heilongjiang (ne China) | non-breeding: to w, c Europe, sw Asia, c Japan, s Korean Pen. and c, e China