OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Bucephala ("bull headed") islandica ("of Iceland")
Adult in eclipse plumage Barrow's Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica) at Saskatoon Lake, Alberta, Canada - July 2024
Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 590-970g / Length: 43-49cm / Wingspan: 70-73cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern
A species with a very perculiar range - it breeds in the Rockies up into Alaska, but also has a disjunct population in the Gulf of St Lawrence in Quebec, and, perhaps even more oddly, a relict population in Iceland in Europe. In most plumages relatively simple to separate from the Common Goldeneye - in breeding males the face patch is a wedge rather than round, and in the breeding females the beak becomes orange, however, in eclipse it can become a bit subtler and features such as black wingbars and the head shape become required.
Related Species:
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Bucephala
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic
- Sighting Locations -
CANADA - Breeds across much of Canada
- CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: - Seen in Alberta
Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto
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