Common Goldeneye

The common goldeneye is a medium-sized sea duck, named for its golden-yellow eyes. Adult males are 45–51 cm long, weigh about 1,000 g, and have a dark head with a greenish gloss and a circular white patch below the eye, a dark back and a white neck and belly. Adult females are 40–50 cm and about 800 g, with a brown head and a mostly grey body. The wingspan is 77–83 cm, and the legs and feet are orange-yellow (Wikipedia, general species account).

Its breeding habitat is the taiga, and it is migratory, most birds wintering in protected coastal waters or open inland waters at more temperate latitudes. It nests in cavities in large trees, returning year after year, and readily uses nest boxes. Incubation lasts 28–32 days, the young leave the nest after 24–36 hours, and they can fly at 55–65 days. Goldeneyes forage by diving. SoIB 2023 lists it as a winter migrant of wetlands that eats invertebrates, and does not assign a priority category (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).