Game Birds of the World

North Americans are indeed lucky to have all three species of Bucephala as native species; the two goldeneyes and the bufflehead are certainly among our most attractive waterfowl species. The Barrow's goldeneye is mostly limited to the western parts of North America from the Rocky Mountains westward, although a few birds winter along the Atlantic coast as well. The male in breeding plumage has a distinctive white crescent between each eye and the bill, and also has a series of white spots extending back along each shoulder. The female greatly resembles the female common goldeneye but at least in western populations has an all-yellow bill and a quite dark brown head with a pronounced forehead bulge. The two species often occur together, and at that time the differences in the females are more readily apparent. This duck forages in fairly deep waters, feeding primarily on mollusks and other invertebrates.

Barrow's goldeneyes engage in prolonged courtship display during spring, when the loud grunting and clicking calls of the males, as well as their splashing, draw one's attention to them. In any case, pair bonds are eventually formed, and females begin to seek out nesting sites. Nests are most often in tree cavities although sometimes in rock crevices; on rare occasions, the birds will nest under dense vegetation. Clutch-sizes number 9–11 eggs, and incubation lasts about 32 days. There is a rather long eight-week pre-fledging period, during the late stages of which the female may abandon her brood and begin her own flightless period.