Common Goldeneye
Common Goldeneye has surged: up 533% on the route-weighted index since 1970.
About the Common Goldeneye
The Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) is a North American member of the Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl (Anatidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the waterfowl.
- Size
- 12–43.5 in long (30–110 cm) — a medium to large waterfowl (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes and sheltered coastal waters.
- Diet
- Aquatic plants, seeds and invertebrates, dabbled at the surface or dived for.
- Range
- Recorded on 126 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 14 states, most concentrated in the BCR 4.
- Family
- Anatidae · Waterfowl
Notable Common Goldeneye Trends
No notable trend signals for Common Goldeneye. See the full index history below.
Common Goldeneye Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Common Goldeneye is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.03 (95% range 0.01–0.04). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±21.3%, with 80% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.04 |
| 2026 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.04 |
| 2027 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.04 |
| 2028 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.04 |
| 2029 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.04 |
Where the Common Goldeneye Is Detected
BBS routes recording Common Goldeneye, sized by most recent count.
Common Goldeneye Population Trend by State
| Alaska | -21% | 1986 | 47 |
| California | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Idaho | -92% | 1980 | 5 |
| Maine | -93% | 1983 | 15 |
| Michigan | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Minnesota | +180% | 1983 | 14 |
| Montana | -77% | 1979 | 14 |
| New Hampshire | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| New York | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| North Dakota | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Vermont | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Washington | +51% | 1994 | 11 |
| Wisconsin | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Wyoming | insufficient data | n/a | 7 |
Common Goldeneye Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| BCR 2 | -76% | 1995 | 8 |
| BCR 4 | -4% | 1986 | 34 |
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | -15% | 1994 | 5 |
| Great Basin | -81% | 1986 | 11 |
| Northern Rockies | -72% | 1980 | 23 |
| Prairie Potholes | +40% | 1986 | 4 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | +92% | 1979 | 18 |
| Atlantic Northern Forest | -84% | 1977 | 18 |
Common Goldeneye Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 533% since 1970.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.