Barrow's Goldeneye
The Barrow's Goldeneye is a medium-sized diving duck named after Sir John Barrow, an English statesman and writer.
The male Barrow's Goldeneye has a large dark head with an iridescent purplish gloss and a crescent-shaped white patch between the eye and bill. The dark back contrasts with the white neck, breast and belly. The scapulars are black with a distinctive row of rectangular white spots. The white greater coverts are tipped with black, forming a black band between the white speculum and the white patch on the greater coverts. The bill is black and the legs and feet are yellowish.
The female Barrow's Goldeneye has a dark chocolate-brown head with a narrow whitish collar. The back and sides are slaty grey and the chest, breast and belly are white. The bill is mostly yellowish and the legs and feet are yellowish.
The adult is similar in appearance to the Common Goldeneye. However, the male Barrow's Goldeneye differs from the male Common Goldeneye by the fact that the Common Goldeneye has a round white patch on the face, less black on the back and a larger bill. For the females, the Common Goldeneye has a less rounded head and a bill in which only the tip is yellow.
The Barrow’s Goldeneye breeds on wooded lakes and ponds primarily in north western north America. It is considered to be an arboreal species because it mainly nests in cavities found in mature trees although it will also nest in burrows or protected sites on the ground.
The Barrow’s Goldeneye can also be found in scattered locations in eastern Canada and Iceland (the only European site). It is an extremely rare vagrant to western Europe and to southern areas of north America. In Icelandic the Barrow’s Goldeneye is known as húsönd (house duck) and it is a common species in the Mývatn area in the north of the country.
The Barrow’s Goldeneye is migratory and most winter in large flocks on lakes, rivers, estuaries and bays
The Barrow's Goldeneye dives to feed on aquatic insects, crustaceans, small fish, fish eggs and pondweeds found in freshwater habitats and molluscs, crustaceans, seastars and marine worms found in saltwater habitats.
Date: 4th June 2015
Location: River Laxá, Lake Mývatn area, north Iceland
The male Barrow's Goldeneye has a large dark head with an iridescent purplish gloss and a crescent-shaped white patch between the eye and bill. The dark back contrasts with the white neck, breast and belly. The scapulars are black with a distinctive row of rectangular white spots. The white greater coverts are tipped with black, forming a black band between the white speculum and the white patch on the greater coverts. The bill is black and the legs and feet are yellowish.
The female Barrow's Goldeneye has a dark chocolate-brown head with a narrow whitish collar. The back and sides are slaty grey and the chest, breast and belly are white. The bill is mostly yellowish and the legs and feet are yellowish.
The adult is similar in appearance to the Common Goldeneye. However, the male Barrow's Goldeneye differs from the male Common Goldeneye by the fact that the Common Goldeneye has a round white patch on the face, less black on the back and a larger bill. For the females, the Common Goldeneye has a less rounded head and a bill in which only the tip is yellow.
The Barrow’s Goldeneye breeds on wooded lakes and ponds primarily in north western north America. It is considered to be an arboreal species because it mainly nests in cavities found in mature trees although it will also nest in burrows or protected sites on the ground.
The Barrow’s Goldeneye can also be found in scattered locations in eastern Canada and Iceland (the only European site). It is an extremely rare vagrant to western Europe and to southern areas of north America. In Icelandic the Barrow’s Goldeneye is known as húsönd (house duck) and it is a common species in the Mývatn area in the north of the country.
The Barrow’s Goldeneye is migratory and most winter in large flocks on lakes, rivers, estuaries and bays
The Barrow's Goldeneye dives to feed on aquatic insects, crustaceans, small fish, fish eggs and pondweeds found in freshwater habitats and molluscs, crustaceans, seastars and marine worms found in saltwater habitats.
Date: 4th June 2015
Location: River Laxá, Lake Mývatn area, north Iceland
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Also in: North east Iceland
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