Common Goldeneye

A winter diving duck with a distinctive angular head and bright eye.

A recording has not been added yet. Use the identification notes below for now.

I know this bird · Record a sighting Where to look & how to find it ↓

FIELDCRAFT · FIND WITH CARE

Finding guide

Season first

Choose the season, find the habitat, then watch patiently. Search guidance is not a measure of rarity or conservation status.

When to go: Mainly autumn to spring, including passage
Where to start: Public lakeside viewpoints and wetland reserves overlooking open water.
What to do when you arrive: In winter, watch repeatedly diving ducks on open water, checking head shape and face patches when they surface. Use a scope for distant birds, not a pursuing boat.

Habitat and behaviour reference: BirdWatch Ireland ↗ · The practical steps are editorial advice based on the references, not live sightings.

SPECIES NOTESSpecies notes

How to identify it

Males have a green-black head, round white cheek patch and black-and-white body. Females have a chocolate-brown head and grey body, sometimes a yellow bill tip. Adults have yellow eyes; young birds darker ones.

Habitat

Freshwater lakes, ponds, slow rivers and some sheltered bays.

Behaviour

Dives for aquatic invertebrates and some small fish.

When to look

Mainly autumn to spring, including passage

Where to look

Public lakeside viewpoints and wetland reserves overlooking open water.

Reference photos do not show every sex, age, season or geographic form; use the identification notes too.

Further reading:BirdWatch Ireland ↗ · Wikipedia ↗

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