The Common Goldeneye featured on the right of this stamp is male, with a female on the left. The species is aptly named for its golden-yellow eye. Males are 45-52cm long and 900-1400g in weight; females 40-50cm and 500-1180g. They eat fish, crustaceans and aquatic insects.
These diving sea ducks are found in the lakes and rivers of boreal forests across Canada and the northern United States, Scandinavia and northern Russia. They are migratory and most winter in protected coastal waters or open inland waters at more temperate latitudes.
Brood parasitism* is quite common both with other Common Goldeneyes as well as other duck species and even Tree Swallow and European Starling eggs have been found mixed with Goldeneye eggs!
* A kind of kleptoparasitism found among birds, fish or insects, involving the manipulation and use of host individuals either of the same or different species to raise the young of the brood-parasite. This relieves the parasitic parent from the investment of rearing young or building nests, enabling them to spend more time foraging, producing offspring etc. As this behaviour is damaging to the host, it will often result in an evolutionary arms race between parasite and host.
[All text: Ref (64)]
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