Bucephala clangula
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
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 |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Common Goldeneye sighting in Elk Island National Park on a given day, based on 492 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 16th most-seen of the 161 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and October–November
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Common Goldeneye in Elk Island National Park on a given day, against about 10% in February and March, the lowest months.
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.
Yes
Of the 41 parks where we can rate Common Goldeneye sightings, Elk Island National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Riding Mountain National Park (Canada, about 30%) and Isle Royale National Park (United States, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Bucephala
The closest relatives of the Common Goldeneye that you can see in Elk Island National Park (genus Bucephala, Goldeneyes and Bufflehead) are Bufflehead (about 50%) and Barrow's Goldeneye (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Goldeneye is recorded against all the birds logged in Elk Island National Park (492 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
