looduskalender.ee

We  meet goldeneyes in ice free waters at sea; they are quite common winterers there, an estimate is around twenty thousand individuals. Birds passing through in spring add two or three times that number. About 1500 – 3000 pairs stay here to nest, mostly in forested areas inland, near lakes.

 

The first thing to be heard is their flight with its characteristic swishing sound. The male goldeneye is recognisable from its white patch on the cheek; the head is black, with a green shimmer. Its plumage is eyecatchingly black and white. The female bird has a brown head, grey plumage, a white neck ring and white patches on the wings. Juveniles look like the female.