| Common Goldeneye Identification Tips |
| (Credit: U. S. Geological Survey) |
| General
Information - Medium-sized diving duck - Yellow eye - Gently sloped forehead - Black bill is small, but larger than in Barrow's Goldeneye - White patches on the secondaries and secondary coverts visible in flight - Immature female is similar to the adult female, immature male is like adult female but has a white breast,a darker head and a trace of the male's white patch before the eye Adult male alternate - Alternate plumage worn from fall through early summer - Glossy greenish head - White circular patch below eye on face - White lower neck, breast, belly and flanks - Dark back - White scapulars with black striping Adult male basic - Similar to adult female Adult female - Reddish-brown head - Dark-based bill with light patch at tip - Gray body, paler on the breast and darker on the back - White patch on wing split by two dark bands |
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