Bucephala clangula
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The common goldeneye or simply goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) is a medium-sized sea duck of the genus Bucephala, the goldeneyes. Its closest relative is the similar Barrow's goldeneye. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek boukephalos ("bullheaded", from bous, "bull" and kephale, "head"), a reference to the bulbous head shape of the bufflehead. The species name is derived from the Latin clangere ("to resound").
Common goldeneyes are aggressive and territorial ducks, and have elaborate courtship displays. The common goldeneye was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Anas clangula. Linnaeus specified the type location as Europe but in 1761 restricted this to Sweden. The common goldeneye is now one of three species placed in the genus Bucephala that was introduced in 1858 by the American naturalist Spencer Baird. The genus name is from Ancient Greek boukephalos meaning "bullheaded" or "large-headed". The specific epithet is from Latin clangere meaning "to resound".
Two subspecies are recognised: Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 3 | Lanzhou | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 4 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Stockholm | 🇸🇪 Sweden | |
| 7 | Nizhny Novgorod | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 8 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Goldeneye sighting in Las Vegas on a given day, based on 58 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 109th most-seen of the 201 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Goldeneye in Las Vegas on a given day, against under 5% in April to January, the lowest months. Those are among Las Vegas's wettest months, with about 20 mm of rain a month against almost none in June.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Goldeneye sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
40th of 67
Of the 67 cities where we can rate Common Goldeneye sightings, Las Vegas ranks 40th at under 5%. The best odds are in Calgary (Canada, about 50%), Helsinki (Finland, about 40%) and Lanzhou (China, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Goldeneye is recorded against all the birds logged in Las Vegas (58 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
