Hi Ontbirders,

With the influx of goldeneyes during the past few weeks into southern Ontario, 
I've been looking through the flocks for both male and female Barrow's 
Goldeneyes. Today, November 19, I observed a female Common Goldeneye with an 
orange-yellow bill on the Ottawa River at Shirley's Bay. This is the second 
individual that I've seen during the past two weeks and I've had a few local 
birders report possible female Barrow's that have turned out to be Common 
Goldeneyes. The bill colour of female Barrow's is only an "aid" to the 
identification and it is not diagnostic. Most important is to look at the head 
shape. The head of the female Barrow's Goldeneye has an oval shape created by a 
steep forehead, flat crown and elongated hind neck feathers like a mane. The 
latter gives the appearance of a swept back crest, similar to the male Barrow's 
and female Hooded Merganser. The head shape of the Common Goldeneye lacks the 
"puffiness" of the female Barrow's. Common has a rounded rather than flat crown 
with a sloping forehead and longer bill. Some birds appear intermediate.

Good birding, Bruce Di Labio and Ron Pittaway 

See link: Bill Colour and Identification of Female Barrow's Goldeneye by
Bruce Di Labio, Ron Pittaway and Peter Burke in Ontario Birds 15 (2): 81-85,
1997. 
http://www.jeaniron.ca/2010/FemaleGoldeneyes.pdf

See also photos on my blog.
http://brucedilabio.blogspot.ca/2009/11/november-12-20-2009-barrows-goldeneyes.html


Di Labio Birding Website
Courses and Field Trips
http://www.dilabiobirding.ca
http://www.brucedilabio.blogspot.com


Bruce Di Labio
400 Donald B. Munro Drive
P.O. Box 538
Carp, Ontario
K0A 1L0 
Office 613-839-4395 Cell 613-715-2571
 
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