The Golden eye is a diving duck and is one of the swiftest of the wildfowling quarry species, in flight the drake "flickers" black and white this effect is made more pronounced by its rapid wing beats and large white wing bars which are present in both sexes, these contrast well with the dark back and wings. The drakes under body and chest are white while the female has a greyish chest. When flying overhead the wings make a loud whistling noise, at rest they are easily identified by their head profile which is a unique triangular shape, dark green in colour in the drake. The drake also sports a white highly visible circular cheek patch at the base of the bill, the bill in both sexes is short which enhances the triangular shape further. The legs of both are orange. The female has a greyish colouring overall, her brown head lacks the white cheek patch of the drake. There are small groups which stay resident in north east Scotland but the bulk of the Golden eye migrate from their summer quarters in Scandanvia and other areas. On take off the Golden eye in common with other divers patters along the surface of the water.
The Golden eye dives deeply in search of its food such as aquatic larvae, insects & molluscs, which it finds by moving stones & disturbing the mud at the bottom of lakes & estuaries.