Common goldeneyes are aggressive and territorial ducks, and have elaborate courtship displays.

[2] The common goldeneye was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Anas clangula.

[4][5] The common goldeneye is now one of three species placed in the genus Bucephala that was introduced in 1858 by the American naturalist Spencer Baird.

[6] The genus name is from Ancient Greek oukephalos meaning "bullheaded" or "large-headed".

), mink (Mustela vison), raccoons (Procyon lotor) and even northern flickers (Colaptes auratus) and American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus).

The common goldeneye is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

[16] Both the breeding and winter habitats of these birds have been degraded by clearance and pollution.

However, the common goldeneye in North America is known to derive short-term benefits from lake acidification.