Birds Around Me 0158 - Goldeneye(Bucephala clangula)

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The Goldeneye is a mid-sized diving duck. Males look black and white with a greenish-black head and a circular white patch in front of the yellow eye. Females are smaller and are mottled grey with a chocolate brown head. 

When I photographed these birds at Stocker's Lake which is another reserve close to my house, the pair in the picture above was at a distance and I got ignored them assuming Tufted duck (Aythya fuligula). A fellow birder all of a sudden got excited and told me it was not the case. The image is not ideal, but good for records.

Goldeneye has a nice nuptial dance, similar to other ducks, where the male will dance around the female throwing the neck upwards and backward. Very often females will walk off and males have to repeat the act.


Ashutosh Jhureley @BirdsAroundMe


Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) - Male & Female
Taken on December 26, 2017
Location: Stocker's Lake, Rickmansworth, UK (Latitude: 51.629534, Longitude: -0.493065)  

Goldeneye(Bucephala clangula) Nuptial Dance
Goldeneye(Bucephala clangula) 
Nuptial Dance

Goldeneye(Bucephala clangula) - Ashutosh Jhureley

Goldeneye(Bucephala clangula) - Ashutosh Jhureley

Goldeneye(Bucephala clangula) - Ashutosh Jhureley

Goldeneye(Bucephala clangula) - Ashutosh Jhureley


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