Common Goldeneye (Large Ducks by AAA)

The genus Bucephala contains three species of small diving ducks collectively referred to as goldeneyes. I am lucky that all three species can be found in my area in the winter. The Common Goldeneye (B. clangula) occurs in the boreal Holarctic, wintering throughout North America, Southeast Asia, and Japan. The Barrow’s Goldeneye (B. islandica) occurs in northwestern North America, with scattered populations in eastern Canada and Iceland. The Bufflehead (B. albeola) occurs in Canada and Alaska, wintering throughout much of North America and with rare vagrants to western Europe. For my third review of the Large Ducks by AAA, we will be looking at the Common Goldeneye. And like the species in the previous two reviews, the Common Goldeneye is also represented in the Small Ducks collection.

The Common Goldeneye is the most widespread of the three species. The two subspecies, B. c. clangula and B. c. americana, occur in Eurasia and North America, respectively. The duck breeds in taiga and during the breeding season can be found in lakes and rivers in boreal forests across its range. In the winter, they migrate to protected coastal waters or to inland lakes, rivers, and canals. When we have exceptionally cold periods where I live in Utah and the lakes freeze, the ducks are forced to canals and rivers, and there is a stretch of the Jordan River near me is a good place to spot all three of them!

For such a small duck species, this is a chunky piece of plastic! The pose, with the head hunched in, makes measuring the body length extremely challenging. I have, and this is with a big word of caution, estimated the body length at 15.0 cm which would put the duck in a scale of 1:3-1:3.4, scaling appreciably larger than the previous Green-winged and Blue-winged Teals. Speaking of the head, it is peaked, as it should be with this species. The left leg is lifted, as if it is grooming itself or scratching itself with its foot (and yes, ducks to that!). I should also point out that unlike the previous two teals, this Common Goldeneye is labeled correctly on the underside!

The paint job reflect some hallmark features of the Common Goldeneye, including a dark green head with a rounded white spot in front of and below the eye. The sides are mostly white with ill-defined transitions into the black back. The beak is the correct color but again there is a red macula at the tip (which, looking at Toy Animal Wiki, every figure in the series except one seems to have).

This figure is a product of its age and doesn’t compare to styles seen today. Still, the two AAA versions (this one and the Small version) are the only two examples of this species I am familiar with. So, for collectors who are interested in uncommon taxa or general species collectors, either of the two should be considered. These AAA ducks are not easy to come by, but pop up on eBay (where I bought mine original in the bag) and other second-hand sites. This wraps up my three reviews. There are a couple others in the set I might review if and when I ever find them.