American Wigeon
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- Widgeon redirects here. For the aircraft, see Grumman Widgeon
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| Anas americana Gmelin, 1789 |
The American Wigeon (also American Widgeon or Baldpate), Anas americana, is a common and widespread duck which breeds in northern North America: specifically, in Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, Alaska, and the Great Lakes. It is the New World counterpart of the Eurasian Wigeon.
This dabbling duck is strongly migratory and winters further south than its breeding range, in Texas, Louisiana, and other areas of the Gulf of Mexico coast. It is a rare but regular vagrant to western Europe. It is highly gregarious outside of the breeding season and will form large flocks.
The breeding male has pinkish flanks and breast back, with a black rear end and a brilliant white speculum, obvious in flight or at rest. It has a greyish head with a green eye patch and a whitish crown stripe. It is 45-56 cm (18-23 inches) long.
The females are light brown, with plumage much like a female Mallard. They can be distinguished from most ducks, apart from Eurasian Wigeon on shape. However, that species has a darker head and all grey underwing.
In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the drake looks more like the female.
It is a bird of open wetlands, such as wet grassland or marshes with some taller vegetation, and usually feeds by dabbling for plant food or grazing, which it does very readily. It nests on the ground, near water and under cover. It lays 6-12 creamy white eggs.
This is a noisy species. The male has a clear whistle in three syllables: whoee-whoe-whoe, whereas the female has a low growl qua-ack.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Anas americana. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Madge, S. & Burn, H. (1988). Wildfowl. Helm. ISBN 0-7136-3647-5
