I came upon this male goldeneye today, at Mud Bay in Thurston County,
Washington. At first, from a distance, I thought it might have a round white
spot at the base of the bill. But, the rest of it looked like a typical
Barrow's Goldeneye. They I noticed a green sheen on the head. All of the
nearby male Barrow's Goldeneyes had the typical purple sheen. On closer
look, the one with the green head has a crescent-shaped loral spot, perhaps
a bit reduced in size from what's typical. You can see this bird here:



http://www.flickr.com/photos/29002564 at N08/6960686549/in/photostream



I really thought I might be looking at a Common Goldeneye-Barrow's Goldeneye
hybrid but, on closer examination, that might be a reach. Have others seen
male Barrow's Goldeneyes with green head sheen?



Kelly McAllister

Olympia, Washington