Barrow's Goldeneye
(Bucephala islandica)

Summary

© Jukka Jantunen (flickr.com/photos/jukka_jantunen)
For additional photos and vocalizations, visit Dendroica. (Link opens in a new window.)

Two geographically isolated populations of Barrow’s Goldeneye are found in Canada: a small Eastern population and a much larger Western population. In 2003, the Eastern population was listed as a species of Special Concern under the Species at Risk Act. As a result, the daily bag limit was restricted to one bird per day, in agreement with the species' Management Plan. The Western population has shown a stable, long-term trend over the past 20 years. Due to its localized distribution, and the small number of hunters sampled during the National Harvest Survey in the Eastern population region, it is not possible to provide accurate Canadian harvest estimates for this species. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.

Designations

Main designations for the species
Designation	Status	Date
COSEWIC (Canada)	Special Concern	2011
SARA (Canada)	Special Concern	2003
IUCN (Global)	Least concern	2018
Wild Species (Canada)	Secure	2015
Bird Conservation Region Strategy	Priority Species	2013

Population status

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Geographic area or population	Population change relative to ~1970	Reliability	Status in relation to goal
Canada	Little Change	Low	Not Applicable
Eastern Canada	Little Change	Low	At an Acceptable Level
Western Canada	Little Change	Low	At an Acceptable Level

Population estimate

Geographic area or population	Population estimate
Canada	100,000 - 500,000 birds

Distribution maps

Migration strategy, occurrence

Short-distance migrant

Responsibility for conservation

Geographic area	Responsibility based on % of global population
Canada	High

Conservation and management

Barrow’s Goldeneye is an arboreal species, so forestry operations on its breeding grounds are thought to be a possible threat (Robert et al. 2008). The species also prefers fishless lakes so the introduction of fish in these lakes could also be a problem. The species winters mostly in marine habitats along the coast, so the threat of oil spills on the wintering grounds is a concern (Robert 2013). Hunting of Barrow’s Goldeneye has been restricted in eastern Canada. The current daily bag limit of one bird per day allows for the accidental harvest of this species. Canadian harvest is not well estimated, mainly because of the limited distribution of the species and the small number of hunters sampled in areas where the species occurs. For information on the legal status of this species under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) and to view available recovery documents, see the SARA Registry.

Bird conservation region strategies

Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:

conservation concerns (i.e., species vulnerable due to population size, distribution, population trend, abundance, or threats)
stewardship responsibilities (i.e., species that typify the regional avifauna or have a large proportion of their range or population in the sub-region)
management concerns (i.e., species that require ongoing management because of their socio-economic importance as game species, or because of their impacts on other species or habitats)
other concerns (i.e., species deemed a priority by regional experts for other reasons than those listed above or because they are listed as species at risk or concern at the provincial level)

Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.

BCRs, marine biogeographic units, and sub-regions in which the species is listed as a priority
Region	Sub-region and priority type
Atlantic Northern Forests	Atlantic Northern Forests, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NB -- Other
Atlantic Northern Forests	Atlantic Northern Forests, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NS -- Other
Atlantic Northern Forests	Atlantic Northern Forests, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, PE -- Other
Atlantic Northern Forests	Atlantic Northern Forests, sub-region and priority type: Quebec -- Other
Boreal Hardwood Transition	Boreal Hardwood Transition, sub-region and priority type: Quebec -- Other
Boreal Softwood Shield	Boreal Softwood Shield, sub-region and priority type: Quebec -- Other
Boreal Taiga Plains	Boreal Taiga Plains, sub-region and priority type: Prairie and Northern -- Other
Great Basin	Great Basin, sub-region and priority type: Pacific and Yukon -- Other
Gulf of St. Lawrence	Gulf of St. Lawrence, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NB -- Other
Gulf of St. Lawrence	Gulf of St. Lawrence, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NL -- Other
Gulf of St. Lawrence	Gulf of St. Lawrence, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NS -- Other
Gulf of St. Lawrence	Gulf of St. Lawrence, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, PE -- Other
Newfoundland and Labrador Shelves	Newfoundland and Labrador Shelves , sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NL -- Other
Northern Pacific Rainforest	Northern Pacific Rainforest, sub-region and priority type: Pacific and Yukon -- Other
Northern Rockies	Northern Rockies, sub-region and priority type: Pacific and Yukon -- Other
Northwestern Interior Forest	Northwestern Interior Forest, sub-region and priority type: Pacific and Yukon -- Stewardship
Scotian Shelf	Scotian Shelf, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NB -- Other
Scotian Shelf	Scotian Shelf, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NS -- Other

References

Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) Waterfowl Committee. 2017. Population Status of Migratory Game Birds in Canada: November 2017. CWS Migratory Birds Regulatory Report Number 49. 221 pp. Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) Waterfowl Committee. 2017. Population Status of Migratory Game Birds in Canada: November 2017. CWS Migratory Birds Regulatory Report Number 49. 221 pp. (Link)
Robert, M. 2013. Barrow’s Goldeneye. pp. 190–194 In: Status of Quebec Waterfowl Populations, 2009. Lepage, C. and D. Bordage (eds). Technical Report Series No. 525, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, Quebec City. xiii + 243 pp. Robert, M. 2013. Barrow’s Goldeneye. pp. 190–194 In: Status of Quebec Waterfowl Populations, 2009. Lepage, C. and D. Bordage (eds). Technical Report Series No. 525, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, Quebec City. xiii + 243 pp. (Link)
Robert, M., B. Drolet, and J.-P.L. Savard. 2008. Habitat Features Associated with Barrow’s Goldeneye Breeding in Eastern Canada. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 120: 320–330.

Barrow's Goldeneye(Bucephala islandica)

Overview