Common Goldeneye

About the Common Goldeneye

The Common Goldeneye is a compact, hardy diving duck of cold water - the drake striking black and white with a dark glossy green head, a round white cheek spot behind the bill, and the brilliant golden-yellow eye that names the species; the hen chocolate-headed and gray-bodied with the same bright eye. In flight the wings whistle loudly, earning the old name "whistler."

Goldeneyes dive constantly in deep, open water for mussels, crustaceans, and small fish, and they are among the last ducks to leave the frozen north. Courting drakes perform an extravagant head-throw display, snapping the head back onto the rump and kicking up a spray of water. Like Buffleheads they nest in tree cavities far to the north.

In Texas the Common Goldeneye is an uncommon winter visitor, mostly December through February, scattered singly or in small groups on deep reservoirs and rivers. A wintering group on the Colorado River in Austin is a treat for local birders - not a bird you can count on every year.