Common Goldeneyes are medium-sized diving ducks that winter regularly in Arizona’s larger reservoirs, rivers and lakes. Arriving from their boreal forest breeding grounds in late October through November, they remain most abundant December–February before departing by March. Adult males are unmistakable—glossy green heads, bright yellow eyes, crisp white bodies and black backs—while females show rich chocolate-brown heads, gray bodies and yellow-orange feet. These ducks forage by diving for aquatic invertebrates, mollusks and small fish, often in loose flocks alongside other waterfowl. Though Arizona hosts no breeding populations, the winter presence of Common Goldeneyes provides striking color and dynamic feeding displays.
