Goldeneye

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Posted by Mike Rogers (129.99.19.30) on March 03, 2003 at 09:50:56:

I'd be cautious with any claim of a female Barrow's Goldeneye on the west coast, especially as late as March, without an all-yellow bill. In this case there is a bit of a shaggy mane and a darker brown head color that might suggest some Barrow's influence, but it would be hard to say that a Common Goldeneye couldn't look like this. The apparent steep forehead is an artifact of the bird's raised head feathers and is likely not a good indicator of actual head shape. Barrow's Goldeneyes bills are not really smaller than those of Common Goldeneyes, they just appear short and stubby relative to the head shape and slightly different in proportions. This bill looks fine for Common Goldeneye to me.

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: I'd be cautious with any claim of a female Barrow's Goldeneye on the west coast, especially as late as March, without an all-yellow bill. In this case there is a bit of a shaggy mane and a darker brown head color that might suggest some Barrow's influence, but it would be hard to say that a Common Goldeneye couldn't look like this. The apparent steep forehead is an artifact of the bird's raised head feathers and is likely not a good indicator of actual head shape. Barrow's Goldeneyes bills are not really smaller than those of Common Goldeneyes, they just appear short and stubby relative to the head shape and slightly different in proportions. This bill looks fine for Common Goldeneye to me.

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