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Barrow’s Goldeneye Behaviour
The Barrow’s Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica) is one of
several sea ducks that spend the non-breeding season on the
ocean. It eats mostly marine invertebrates such as mussels,
barnacles and snails through the winter and gather in large
numbers to eat herring eggs in spring. The ducks form breeding
pairs while on the winter quarters and fly together to
freshwater ponds where they raise their ducklings. Females
nest in abandoned woodpecker cavities and they will use nest
boxes. Males are highly territorial on the breeding grounds in
spring and females are highly territorial in summer. Breeding
takes place on lakes and ponds from late April to late May.
When the females are roughly half-way through incubation of
their eggs the males depart for northern moulting areas as
much as 2,000 kilometers away. The annual migration patterns
between the Pacific Coast, and breeding and moulting sites is
a project of Drs. Sean Boyd and Dan Esler of PWLF.
Barrow’s Goldeneye Science
The Pacific Coast of North America is a winter destination for
most of the world’s Barrow’s Goldeneyes. The winter
distribution and breeding areas have been documented but
moulting sites were not well known until recently. The
research by Drs. Boyd and Esler of PWLF is uncovering the
mystery of this migration.
Barrow’s Goldeneye Conservation
Goldeneye are doing well but they are potential victims of
oils spills on the ocean and cutting of nest trees and loss of
wetlands ponds used to rear young and undergo feather moult.
Barrow's Goldeneye
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