This week’s Bird of the Week, compliments of the Weminuche Audubon Society and Audubon Rockies, is the Barrow’s goldeneye.
This is a duck primarily of cold northwestern regions with small populations also occurring in eastern Canada and Iceland. Its migrations occur late in fall and early in spring. Most of the population winters in protected areas on shallow coastal waters, but some venture far inland to cold regions like ours with open water in rivers and lakes. The Barrow’s goldeneye is typically only seen in our area between mid-November and mid-April, and then not in large numbers.
Summer finds these ducks in small, shallow, forested mountain lakes. With some exceptions, including a small area in Colorado, the breeding range is limited to a narrow band from Alaska into California. Most of the time they nest in large tree cavities close to water or will utilize nest boxes provided by people.
The diet of this diving duck depends on season and location. In freshwater it feeds mainly on aquatic insects and other invertebrates, small fish, fish eggs and plant material. During its time at sea in winter, it feeds on crustaceans and mollusks.
Barrow’s goldeneyes are often seen in the company of the more numerous common goldeneyes. The male Barrow’s has a triangular-shaped head with a purplish sheen, and a crescent-shaped white patch on his face which is round in the common goldeneye. His body is snow white below and black above. White markings on his folded black wings give the appearance of piano keys playing across his back.
Barrow’s females have rich brown-colored heads atop a gray body. Usually their bills have more yellow than those of female common goldeneyes, but this is not always the case, and the females of these two species are difficult to distinguish. Both goldeneye species have the bright yellow eyes for which they are named.
Like other game birds that live in remote places, goldeneyes are wary and easily flushed from their feeding spots on the river.
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