The wild duck, called the goldeneye, is one of the representatives of the ducks living in the forest zones of the Northern Hemisphere. The habitat is heterogeneous, that is, in some places this waterfowl is found in abundance, in others - rarely, and in the territory of some European countries, the duck's settlement areas are closely connected with uninhabited or protected forest areas.
Where did the view come from?
The goldeneye duck is found both in Eurasia and in America, but North America is considered its homeland.From here its ancestors migrated to Asia, and then spread throughout the rest of the lands up to the western extremities of Europe. This is a diving duck, which is not very numerous, but is not rare either.
It is believed that there are two subspecies of the goldeneye duck:
- North American, larger.
- Eurasian.
There are no significant differences in appearance, behavior and nutrition. A nest box is used as a nest; the birds prefer the banks of forest rivers and lakes; they do not form large flocks for migration; they winter on the coasts of seas and lakes, large rivers, and estuaries.
Description of the bird
The goldeneye duck is a medium-sized bird, not exceeding 50 centimeters in length, strong, stocky, with a rounded head with noticeable feathery “cheeks” and a smooth oval “tuft.” As is typical among birds, female goldeneye ducks are smaller than males and have more modest colors.
They have a grayish-brown tint of plumage, a light brown head, a white stripe in a ring on the neck, yellowish paws, and some individuals have a light orange bandage on the beak. The weight of the duck ranges from 550 to 810 grams. Young goldeneyes have the same colors, regardless of their gender.
Males are distinguished by their colorful breeding plumage. Their lower body, sides and neck are snow-white, the top is black with peculiar stripes formed by the feathers of the wings. The black head of the goldeneye duck has a characteristic “gasoline” tint and white spots on its cheeks. The beak is black, the paws are orange. The weight of the drake is from 570 to 900 grams.
Lifestyle and habitat
The goldeneye duck prefers forest lakes, rivers, and reservoirs, which supply them with food and shelter. Birds choose places where there are old hollow trees along the banks, necessary for nesting, but they also calmly settle in artificial nests created for them by people. The goldeneye duck does not like open places, so it is practically not found in “bare” river floodplains.
For nests, the bird prefers to choose deciduous trees, but can also use coniferous trees, for example, pine. If there are a large number of hollows, the goldeneye duck prefers to maintain a distance between nesting sites, but, if necessary, puts up with forced crowding.
These are migratory birds, however, under favorable weather conditions and with an abundant food supply, they can remain for the winter. Most often these are single pairs of ducks or small groups of up to 5-6 individuals. In the northwestern part of Europe there are a few flocks of birds leading a sedentary lifestyle.
Ducks fly away early, from the end of August, but the bulk of the birds set off on their journey in the second half of October. They gather in small flocks of 10-30 birds each.
In a number of countries, the goldeneye duck is considered a game bird, but in Belarus it is listed in the Red Book.
What do they eat?
The diet of the goldeneye duck consists of aquatic invertebrates, which it hunts at the bottom of the reservoir or in the water column. The duck is capable of diving to a depth of 10 meters, but prefers to settle on rivers and lakes with water up to 4 meters.
In winter, birds actively eat these mollusks and crustaceans. In summer, the menu for goldeneye ducks is much more varied. It includes bloodworms (mosquito larvae), midges, dragonflies, caddis flies, water beetles and other insects.Ducks also eat small fish, amphibians and earthworms, collect seeds and roots of plants, and can peck at the green succulent parts of aquatic plants.
Reproduction and lifespan
Birds arrive early, as early as March. At the same time, the mating season of goldeneye ducks begins. Most often, future pairs are formed during wintering, but many goldeneyes find their soulmate already in the nesting areas. Ducks reach sexual maturity at two years of age. The period of “grooming” in birds is very bright and expressive. It is then that the drakes take a characteristic pose with a proudly protruded chest and raised head, which gave rise to the expression “walking like a goldeneye.”
The goldeneye duck begins to build nests in the middle or late spring, choosing trees with hollows at a height of 10 to 15 meters. It prefers free-standing trees, but can also use artificial nesting sites, and sometimes even abandoned holes, for example, hare holes. Often the nest is used by the same pair or female for several years or decades in a row.
The bottom of the nest is covered with wood dust and lined with down, which the female plucks from her own breast. A clutch can contain from 5 to 13 eggs, but more often the average number is 8-11 eggs. They are painted in a bluish or greenish-blue tint, large, up to 67 millimeters long and up to 46 millimeters wide.
Only the female incubates, the process lasts 29-30 days. The hatched chicks are wet, they dry out under the duck for 24 hours, then jump out of the nest on their own, regardless of the height. After just 14 days, the ducklings can swim and dive regularly, they can feed themselves without needing adult supervision, but they begin to fly only by two months. In nature, the goldeneye duck can live up to 20 years.
Taste qualities
The Gogol duck belongs to the category of waterfowl. Meat has a characteristic taste and smell associated with the consumption of specific foods. To remove them from the carcass, the ducks are skinned and fat removed, and then soaked for a day in a marinade based on wine vinegar.
Fried or baked, this bird is very tasty. Gogol duck does not have any special nutritional or taste value; it is not classified as “red game,” but it can serve as a decoration for any table.
Goldeneye eggs are tasty, but you can only take a few eggs from the nest and only in areas where the number of ducks is large. When consuming, you need to take into account the risk of infection with salmonella and other parasites, so duck eggs are used only after heat treatment.
