Appearance:
Male - The male Goldeneye has a metallic green-black head with a large round white spot on the cheek, golden-yellow eyes, a black beak, a white neck and belly, dark back, black tail, rump and vent area, visable elongated black and white scapulars and orange-yellow legs and feet.
Female - The female has a dark chocolate-brown head and neck, black beak with sometimes a yellowish tip, pale yellow or whitish eyes, brown-grey body with whitish breast and underparts.
Eclipse - The male in eclipse plumage looks very much like the female but retains its wing pattern and has golden-yellow eyes while the female's are pale yellow or whitish.
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Size: - Typical Adult is 45-52cm (18-21in).
Food: - Crustaceans, aquatic insects, molluscs, shrimps, small crabs also aquatic plants.
Habitat/Range: - Lakes, and rivers of boreal forests, and also coastal waters. Breeding in the Taiga region of Canada, north USA, Scandinavia, and north Russia. Wintering further south in more temperate lattitudes.
Breeding Habitat, 
Migration or Winter Area.Breeding Season: - May and June.
Eggs: - 6 to 11 (bluish-green colour).
Notes: - The Goldeneye is a northern hemisphere sea duck. They nest in tree cavities and will also use nestboxes which has helped to increase the population.
Conservation status (IUCN 3.1):
Least Concern.
Classification: - Family: Anatidae,
Subfamily: Merginae, Genus: Bucephala.
Goldeneye video:
