Barrow’s goldeneye: The quiet bird

As other ducks boisterously announce their presence quacking, whistling, and peeping in the small, forested lakes and ponds of northwestern United States, Canada, and Iceland, the handsome black and white Barrow’s goldeneye, a diving sea duck, floats silently upon the water.  

These quiet ducks vocalize in low guttural squawks and croaks only during the breeding season which occurs in Montana in early May to mid-July. Upon rising in flight their wings whistle as they pass overhead. Indeed, they have earned the nickname “whistlers” because of the whistling sound made by their wings as they fly. This whistle is produced by fast flight and rapid wingbeats. 

Named for John Barrow (1764-1848), a geographer of the British Admiralty in recognition of his support of arctic exploration, and for the bird’s piercing golden eye, the Barrow’s Goldeneye, Bucephala islandica, will receive a new name in the near future as the American Ornithological Society is in the process of renaming up to 80 bird species, and the Barrow’s goldeneye has been identified as one to receive a new name.  

A breeding resident in all but the southeastern corner of Montana, the Barrow’s goldeneye prefers small lakes and ponds with an abundance of aquatic invertebrates that also have trees nearby large enough to have nesting cavities. They nest in the holes of Pileated Woodpeckers and will also use nesting boxes.  

Males perform a breeding display for a group of females known as the “head-throw-kick sequence”, thrusting their heads forward, then back to their rump, uttering calls, then flicking their heads forward again, all while splashing the water with their feet. When a female is impressed, she joins the dance with her own set of courtship displays that include distinctive head motions. Breeding pairs commonly mate year after year with the same partner. 

Winter will find the bird mostly in the western half of Montana in reservoirs and large lakes and rivers that remain ice-free. Many will migrate to the Pacific coast. Migration in western Montana occurs around the first week in April and again in late fall.  

Little is known about the status of Barrow’s goldeneye in Montana. Although they are now considered to have a healthy population, the duck is greatly affected by human activity such as habitat loss from timber harvest which reduces the availability of cavity trees for nesting. Recreational activities on breeding lakes cause disturbance of brood raising, and climate change is likely to push the Barrow’s goldeneye up in elevation and out of most of its current summer range and reduce the size of its winter range. 

As you watch for birds in forest lakes during summer in Montana, or on inland lakes and rivers that remain free of ice in the winter, look for the Barrow’s goldeneye. Find the strikingly crisp black and white feathered ducks among the groups of other ducks you scan. Check the shape of the head, the bill size, the shape of the forehead, and look for the white marking in the face.  

Compared to the common goldeneye the adult male will have a white crescent behind the bill, a short black bill, and flat forehead with purple iridescence in the head feathers and dark upperparts with a black spur in the shoulder. Adult common goldeneye have a white round patch behind the bill with green iridescence in the head feathers and a lot of white on the sides and wings. Adult female Barrow’s goldeneye have short, orange bills and a flat forehead with a very dark brown head. Their bodies are gray. Adult female common goldeneye have a bill with a yellow tip and a slightly sloping forehead. The head is lighter brown than the Barrow’s.  

Both have the striking golden eyes that are their namesake.