Barrows Goldeneye

Description: Much like the common goldeneye, the wings of Barrow’s goldeneye produce a whistling noise. The drake has a puffy black oval-shaped head with a purple hue and a white crescent-shaped patch in front of the eyes. It has a black back with a row of white spots on either side, a black bill, and a white belly. The hen has a gray back and sides, a dark brown head, and an orange bill with a black base and tip. Both hens and drakes have yellow legs and feet. Average size: 16-20 inches. Average weight: 1-1 ½ pounds.

Science: Barrow’s goldeneye breed mostly in mountainous areas of the northwestern United States and up into southern Alaska. They favor lakes and rivers in wooded areas at high elevations. Their migration begins in October; the drakes arrive at the wintering grounds ahead of the hens. They travel in small flocks and winter along the Pacific coast of Alaska and Canada and the eastern coast of Canada and are sometimes seen on the lower Colorado river. Though they sometimes eat aquatic plants, they feed mostly on aquatic insects, mollusks, and fish. Their population is stable.

Hunting: Most often, they’re taken incidentally by hunters seeking other diving ducks. The eating quality is fair: the meat is often strong-tasting.