by Glenda K. Fralin

Created on: April 22, 2008   Last Updated: June 07, 2008

Barrow's Goldeneye, or bucephala islandica, is a duck from the mountains of the northwest Americas. The male is a beautiful black and white, while the female may have some added brown coloring to its feathers. This water fowl is a diver. Originally the Barrow's Goldeneye was thought to come from Iceland accounting for its Latin name. However, it prefers the mountains of the Great North West of America and Canada. Small numbers of these amazing birds occupy regions near the east coast of the Americas and areas of Iceland. True to their name the Barrow's Goldeneye's most distinguishing feature is its gold eyes.

Appearance:

The male Barrow's Goldeneye has a regal purple head with crescent shaped white patches on either side of the face and under the bill. The body of the breeding male is primarily black and white. The younger non-breeding males bear an appearance closer to that of the female.

The Female Barrow's Goldeneye is often mistaken for the Female Common Goldeneye that has a larger black beak with a yellow tip. The Barrow's female's beak is smaller and generally yellow. Females have mostly gray plumage with a white band at the neck and brown heads. Their average size is 17 to 19 inches with a 31 inch wingspread and chunky body.
For anyone who wishes to see these beautiful animals or to hear the call and wing sounds. please go to the following link and click the "Play" button next to the photograph at the top of the page.
http://www.birdweb.org/birdweb/bird_details.asp x?id=90

Habitats and Breeding:

In summer the Barrow's Goldeneye prefers interior northern lakes. They like lakes that are devoid of fish and heavy vegetation as this allows them to dine on insects without competition. Summer is the Barrow's mating season, so these habitats make it highly favorable for such a diet.

During the summer mating season, the male Barrow's will emit its call which is a ka-Kaa sound. He exhibits an elaborate mating dance. The female will reply to his call with a soft 'cuc' sound. Generally the Barrow's Goldeneye duck does not use a call except during mating seasons. Barrow's are known for their tendency to maintain life long pairs. They nest in crannies and cavities of older trees lining them with chest down from the female. The female will lay 6 to 12 eggs with an incubation period of 29 to 31 days. After the females start to incubate their eggs, the males migrate to a location and molt making it a 'staging area'.

Females do not feed their ducklings but will lead them to areas

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