- Bucephala islandica
Identification
43-48cm
Males;dark head with a purplish gloss, white crescent at the front of the face.
Females have a yellow bill.
Similar Species
Very similar to Common Goldeneye
Distribution
A mainly North American duck, the only Western Palearctic breeding area is Iceland where a fairly common resident, especially in the Lake Myvatn area.
Elsewhere in Europe a vagrant or escape; recorded in the Faroes and Britain east to Sweden, Poland and northern Russia, north to Svalbard and south to Spain. Other reports have involved obvious escapes and until ringing recoveries show genuine vagrancy does occur then all reports of this species must be treated with caution. Icelandic birds are sedentary, remaining on breeding waters or moving to larger lakes nearby.
Any genuine vagrants in Europe are more likely to originate from the more migratory Canadian populations.
Taxonomy
Monotypic[1]
Habitat
Breeds on small lakes and rivers, some moving to larger freshwaters and sheltered coasts nearby in winter.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes aquatic insects, crustaceans and pond vegetation.
Breeding
They nest in tree cavities or in burrows or on the ground in scrub.
References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Wikipedia
- Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Barrow's Goldeneye. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 18 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Barrow%27s_Goldeneye
