Goldeneye behavior

Pete McMiller

Pete McMiller

Well-known member
Stopped along the Wisconsin River west of Madison yesterday to watch some Goldeneyes in action. There weren't many, maybe 8 altogether and they were all drakes - not a hen in site anywhere. They were spread out along a stretch of about a half a mile and were actively feeding. Except one, he was swimming with another drake and was doing the head throw back very actively. I thought that was a mating "dance" so to speak and thought it odd that he was doing it without any hens in the area.

Any of you birds guys have comments on this behavior?
 
Pete:

Only to state what I'm sure many may be thinking - maybe this goldeneye was indeed doing the 'mating' dance? :)

John
 
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John, I had thought about that for a fleeting second. Then the PC thought came into my head "he's just a confused youngster - he'll straighten out in a couple of years". He probably came from "Broke-Tail Mountain".
 
In the dead of winter in front of my Mom's house dozens of GE's will be milling around doing the courtship thing "meeeeeee......meeeeee". I've seen them do it almost involuntarily when they are in a cluster of drakes. I would bet that there were hens in the general vicinity somewhere but I've often wondered if hens from other species don't get the young of the year drakes to "fire".
 
That could be a key point Jay. There were two pairs of mallards nearby. I cringe at the thought of my beloved Goldeneye fraternizing with common mallards but.................... "he's young, he'll come back to the fold in a couple of years".
 
GE's hybridize occasionally. When I lived in Marquette the lower harbor would hold all kinds of sea ducks whenever the ice was out...usually March or April sometime. One spring there was a GE/Buffie hybrid and a GE/Scaup hybrid. And no, I don't have photos but it was a big deal to all the students of ornithology at NMU.
 
Pete,
I used to live close to a really large aviary with many different species. Every year this one drake GE and a drake Hoodie would pair up and swim around all day side by side doing head throws. Never did have a hen near them, just each other. Maybe it was a dominance thing, maybe something else? They sure seemed to be having fun for a couple of months.
 
The real mating display is called a grunt whistle kick. They throw their head back, grunt and whistle while kicking a spray of water. The head-throw display and vocalization is a courtship and dominance display.
 
Now that you mention it, I remember him spraying water a couple of times. I wasn't close enough to hear any vocalizations or even how he was spraying water. Looked almost like a bird in a bird bath fluttering his wings.
 
Thanks Pete. I printed off a copy of that decoy for inspiration. I usually hold of carving till after the new year, and that bird will give me something to think about till then.
 
speaking on vocals of GE~S
i heard them Brrrrrrr ing when the seal was chasing them..the other day,,they were jumping out of the water like penguins in happy feet movie...
out and dive back in then up on the ice...
 
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