Barrow's Goldeneye.

It is common to see flocks of common goldeneye spending the winter in Minnesota on open parts of the Mississippi river. Each year someone will post on the list server that they spotted a Barrow's mixed in with the flock and so people will come from all over and spend hours trying to find a Barrow's

When we go out west to Yellowstone the Barrow's goldeneye is always the most common duck that we see in the park. Usually I take a few pictures, since we do not really have them at home, but quickly they become as common as mallards and we pass them by when we see them.
Barrow's goldeneye are fascinating birds. They breed near inland lakes in the northwestern United States and Canada. They are a cavity nester and often lay their eggs in the nest of another goldeneye or cavity nesting duck. This is not too big of a deal though because shortly after hatching, typically with in a couple of days, the Barrow's chick are pretty elf sufficient and are able to swim and dive to find prey such as small fish, vegetation, aquatic insects and other aquatic vertebrates.