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  • Home
  • APAL
    • A-PAL History >
      • A-PAL Humane Society Leadership Team
      • APAL Leadership Opportunities
    • APAL Programs >
      • The Rusty Fund >
        • Rusty's Pet Tails
      • Save the Kittens
      • Spay or Neuter
      • Second Chance K9 >
        • TCK9-2014 Graduates
      • Community Cats >
        • Understanding Feral Cats
        • How to Trap a Feral Cat
      • Special Needs >
        • Special Needs Stories
      • Adopt a Friend
      • Trap-Neuter-Return
      • APAL Tracking Our Progress
    • Support A-PAL >
      • Volunteer for APAL
      • Foster for A-Pal >
        • Foster Forms >
          • Foster Program Protocol
          • Kitten Health Checklist
          • Kitten Growth Chart
          • Guide to Feline URI
      • Donate to A-PAL >
        • Donate your Car
        • Giving Tuesday 2020
      • A-PAL Wish List
      • A-PAL Facility Sponsor
    • APAL Events >
      • APAL Calendar
      • APAL Past Events >
        • SantaPaws2019
        • Bark in the Park 2019
        • Whiskers and Wine 2017
        • Whiskers and Wine 2014
        • Bark in the Park 2014
        • Whiskers and Wine 2015
        • Bark In The Park 2015
        • Maui Raffle
        • Santa Paws 2015
    • Partners >
      • Shelter Partners >
        • Shelter Partners on TSPN
        • Dec14News-PitBulls
        • Jan15News-Excel
        • Feb15News-BenefitsOfPets
        • Feb15News-HarmfulAlgaeBlooms
        • Mar15News-Hoarding
        • Apr15News-TNR
        • Sep15News-QAMargeB
        • Oct15News-ButteFire
        • Oct15News-Bats
        • Nov15News-SeparationAnxiety
        • Dec15News-Tips4Treats
        • Jan16-Volunteer
        • Apr16-TNR
        • July16News-Center
        • Sep16News-ACART
        • Nov17News-ServiceDogs
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    • Find an animal in need? >
      • Audio Wildlife Tips
      • WhereAreWe
    • TCWC History >
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      • TCWC Leadership Opportunities
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        • TCWC Education Events >
          • TCWC Education Animals
        • WildlifeSavesUs
        • Living Wildlife Friendly >
          • Save the Bees
          • Holiday Decorations
          • Kill That Lawn
          • Songbird Concert Tips
          • Holiday Trash
          • Alert Your Birds
          • Water to Help the Critters!
          • Bread is for Sandwiches
          • No Dogs Allowed
          • Repurpose to Feed the Birds
          • GoNative
          • Netting It Out
          • Balloons
          • E-Waste
          • Organic Food
          • AllThatGlitters
          • Fly Strips and Glue Traps
          • Toxic Household Products
          • Recycling Pumpkins
          • Tree Trimming Tips
          • Saving Venomous Species
          • Think Biodegradeable
        • Nuisance Wildlife >
          • Nuisance-SayNoToTrapping
          • Foxlights
          • Wildproof Your Home
        • Gold Country Critters
        • Keep Them Wild and Free
        • TCWC Videos
        • Points to Ponder
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        • TCWC 2016 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2017 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2018 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2019 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2020 Impact Report
      • TCWC Patients >
        • Success Stories >
          • 1 - Opossum Call
          • 2 - Raccoon Behind the Grill!
          • 3 - Saving a Raven
          • LongTripHome
          • Anita's Bird Comes Home
          • College the Wild Way
          • Releases
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June 2021 - The Common Goldeneye

PictureFemale Common Goldeneye
What duck has the nickname of "whistler?" It’s the Common Goldeneye.

Hunters gave this duck the nickname of “whistler” as this is the sound their wings make in flight. Cold weather accentuates the whistling sound.

Common Goldeneye is a medium-sized duck that is widespread in much of North America, Europe and Asia. We see them in our region from a November through April. You will find them in wetland habitat near forested lakes, rivers, and in winter near salt bays and sea coasts.

Males have a glistening green-black head with a circular white patch at the base of the bill. The body is mostly white with a bit of black on the back. The head of females and young males is chocolate brown and they have a gray body. "Goldeneye" refers to their bright yellow eyes. But their eyes don’t start out as yellow. When hatched, the eye is gray-brown. As they age, they turn to purple-blue, blue, and then green-blue. At five months, they are now a clear pale green-yellow. When adults, the males will finally have golden eyes and eyes of adult females will be pale yellow to white.

Goldeneyes form pairs in winter. The male courts the female with a complicated list of 14 different moves. The “head throw kick” is when the male throws his head back, touches his rump, thrusts forward and kicks up water with his feet.

Goldeneyes nest in large tree cavities in the boreal forests of Canada and Alaska anywhere from 5 feet to 60 feet above ground. Abandoned buildings and nest boxes may also be used. At the bottom of the cavity, a depression is made in a base of wood chips and lined with down from her breast. If nest sites are scarce, females may lay eggs in each other’s nests. She lays one egg each morning and only begins incubation when all are laid. Usually, 8-11 eggs are laid but they may lay as many as 17. The olive-green to blue-green eggs incubate for 29-30 days and all hatch within a few hours of each other. When the female leaves the nest, she covers the eggs with down.

The young leave the nest after only 1-2 days and that first step can be a big one with the nest maybe 60 feet up. The female is at the bottom of the tree calling for the chicks to jump and tumble to the ground. They will then follow the female to water. If the female abandons the chicks or the chicks are separated after a territorial fight, they will join another female’s brood. Though the young are tended by the female, they are able to feed themselves. They take their first flight when they are 56-66 days old.

Large groups of Goldeneyes may all dive for food at the same time. Their diet can vary by season and depending on the habitat. They eat crustaceans like crabs and shrimps, as well mollusks, small fishes, marine worms, frogs, and leeches. In the fall, they may eat pondweeds.

Found in Minnesota, the oldest known Common Goldeneye was a male. He was 20 years and 5 months old.

Tri County Wildlife Care, a local nonprofit started in 1994, is dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of our native wildlife and helping our community live in balance with wildlife. They envision a world where wildlife and people thrive together. For more information call (209) 283-3245, or visit pawspartners.org.

Picture
Male Common Goldeneye
Learn More!
Wikipedia
Cornell
Audubon

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