Polygyny in Barrow's goldeneye

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A male is considered polygynous whenever he forms a prolonged pair bond with two or more females whose nesting cycles overlap in time. Polygyny is rare in waterfowl but commonly occurs in two species, the Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalmata and the Comb Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos. Studies of captive birds have indicated that some southern hemisphere dabbling ducks are occasionally polygynous. Similar studies of North American dabbling ducks have not documented polygyny. Among North American diving ducks, polygyny has been reported only in the Canvasback Aythya valisineria. Males of Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) and Barrow's Goldeneye (B. islandica) have been observed defending two females, suggesting that polygyny may occur in these species. In this note, I describe four cases of polygyny observed in 1984 among 229 pairs of Barrow's Goldeneye during a study of territorial behavior in the interior of British Columbia, Canada.

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Reference Code: A86SAV01IDUS

Full Citation: Savard, J.-P. L. 1986. Polygyny in Barrow's goldeneye. Condor 88(2): 250-252.

Location: ANIMAL EF: BUCEPHATA ISLANDICA