The male of this duck has a dark head with a white cheek patch (9)
I believe the answer is:
goldeneye
'the male of this duck' is the definition.
'goldeneye' can be an answer for 'duck' (type of duck). I'm not certain of the remainder of the definition.
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for goldeneye that I've seen before include "Northern diving duck - 1995 Bond film" , "spy film" .)