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THE COMMON GOLDENEYE

Even though the common goldeneye is not particularly colourful, the male at least is rather ‘eye-catching’ with its black and white coloration and its golden eyes. In fact, the male’s head has a metal green tinge that clearly stands out in bright light, while on an ordinary Danish overcast day it looks black and white. The female may resemble a wigeon with its brownish head and grey-blue body, but its plumage is more douche in colour. As the common goldeneye nests in cavities in trees, it does not need such pronounced camouflage colours.

NAMED AFTER
The common goldeneye reminds many of us of the James Bond film Goldeneye. The Danish name – hvinanden – translates as ‘whine duck’ on account of the noise the bird makes when flying, while the English chose to name it after the drake’s beautiful eyes, which almost dazzle like gold in the sun. Its Latin name is Bucephala clangula, which quite aptly describes the bird. Bucephala comes from the Ancient Greek and means ‘bull’s head’, which refers to the duck’s bulbous head shape. The Latin word clangula means ‘to resound’, which its beating wings certainly do.
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DEERHUNTER
How widespread is the common goldeneye in Denmark?
The common goldeneye is widely distributed over most of the northern hemisphere, except Greenland, Iceland and the far north in Asia and North America. The common goldeneye population is by no means threatened, as there are estimated to be between 2.7 million and 4.7 million individuals. It is seen in Denmark as a migratory guest in winter, when there can be as many as 100,000 birds in the Danish waters. The common goldeneye rarely breeds in Denmark, with about 100 breeding pairs in northern Zealand around Gribskov forest and Esrum Lake.
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DEERHUNTER

Deerhunter’s recommendations for hunting common goldeneye

MORE TYPES OF DUCK

LEARN MORE ABOUT HUNTING GAME

See all the posts from our Deerhunter blog.

  • Eider
  • Wild boar
  • Pheasant
  • Fallow deer in Denmark
  • The woodcock
  • The wigeon
  • The mallard
  • The Eurasian teal
  • Roe deer
  • The fox
  • Greylag goose