American Wigeon

American Wigeon, male, breeding plumage

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American Wigeon, female

American Wigeon, male, eclipse plumage

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A common and increasingly abundant duck, the American Wigeon breeds in northwestern North America and is found throughout the rest of the continent in migration and in winter. Its small bill and the male's white forehead, as well as certain aspects of nesting and feeding behavior, distinguish this species from other dabbling ducks.

Description

• Medium-sized duck.
• Male with white crown.
• Green face patch.
• Large white patch in wings.
• Black rear end bordered by white.

• Size: 42-59 cm (17-23 in)
• Wingspan: 84 cm (33 in)
• Weight: 540-1330 g (19.06-46.95 ounces)

Sex Differences

Male brightly patterned with white flanks and white crown stripe; female dull gray and rusty brown.

Sound

High squeaky whistle, resembling squeaky toy. Female quacks.

Conservation Status

Populations declined by approximately 50 percent in the 1980s as a result of extended drought in prairie regions, but have since largely recovered. Widely hunted in the United States in fall, subject to federal limits.

Other Names

Canard d'Amerique (French)
Pato chalcuán, Pato americano (Spanish)
Baldpate, American Widgeon (English)

Cool Facts

• The American Wigeon was formerly known as "Baldpate" because the white stripe resembled a bald man's head.
• The American Wigeon is a rare, but regular straggler to Europe where it turns up in flocks of Eurasian Wigeon.

• The American Wigeon's short bill enables it to exert more force at the bill tip than other dabbling ducks, thus permitting efficient dislodging and plucking of vegetation.

• The America Wigeon is the dabbling duck most likely to leave water and graze on vegetation in fields. However, feeding in fields on grain, such as corn, is rather rare.

• The American Wigeon's diet has a higher proportion of plant matter than the diet of any other dabbling duck.

Sources used to construct this page:

Mowbray, T. 1999. American Wigeon (Anas americana). In The Birds of North America, No. 401 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.