Barrow's Goldeneye
Bucephala islandica
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderAnseriformes (Waterfowl)
- FamilyAnatidae (Ducks, Geese, and Swans)
- GenusBucephala (Goldeneyes and Bufflehead)
- SpeciesBucephala islandica (Barrow's Goldeneye)
About the Barrow's Goldeneye
Barrow's goldeneye (Bucephala islandica) is a medium-sized sea duck of the genus Bucephala, the goldeneyes. This bird was named after Sir John Barrow. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek boukephalos, "bullheaded", from bous, "bull" and kephale, "head", a reference to the bulbous head shape of the bufflehead. The species name islandica means Iceland.
Barrow's goldeneye was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the ducks, geese and swans in the genus Anas and coined the binomial name Anas islandica. Gmelin based his description on the "Hravn Oend" that had been briefly described in 1776 by Danish naturalist Otto Friedrich Müller. Barrow's goldeneye is now placed with the common goldeneye and the bufflehead in the genus Bucephala that was introduced in 1858 by American naturalist Spencer Baird. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek boukephalos, meaning "bullheaded", from bous "bull", and kephale, "head". The specific epithet islandica is for Iceland. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
Adults... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Barrow's Goldeneye in Kenai Fjords National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Kenai Fjords National Park
Common Goldeneye
Bucephala clangula
Bufflehead
Bucephala albeola
Surf Scoter
Melanitta perspicillata
Common Merganser
Mergus merganser
Harlequin Duck
Histrionicus histrionicus
American White-winged Scoter
Melanitta deglandi
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serrator
Greater Scaup
Aythya marila
Gadwall
Mareca strepera
Black Scoter
Melanitta americana
Long-tailed Duck
Clangula hyemalis
American Wigeon
Mareca americana
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vatnajokull National Park | 🇮🇸 Iceland | |
| 2 | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Katmai National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Kenai Fjords National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Denali National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Wood Buffalo National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Thingvellir National Park | 🇮🇸 Iceland | |
| 11 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Barrow's Goldeneye in Kenai Fjords National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Barrow's Goldeneye sighting in Kenai Fjords National Park, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Barrow's Goldeneye in Kenai Fjords National Park?
May has the highest sighting rate for Barrow's Goldeneye in Kenai Fjords National Park in our monthly data.