Eurasian Wigeon

Adult male in breeding plumage has a chestnut-brown head with a creamy-yellow crown stripe, finely barred grey body, pinkish-brown breast, and a black rear end. Females are mottled brown with a warmer reddish-brown head.

Male has a rufous head, creamy forehead/crown stripe, pinkish breast, and grey flanks; flies with a distinct white wing patch on the forewing.

Length: 42–50 cm, Wingspan: 75–85 cm, Weight: 500–900 g

Males make a distinctive, clear, whistling two-note call ('whee-oo'); females emit low growls or quacks.

Primarily vegetarian, feeding on leaves, stems, roots, and seeds of grasses and aquatic plants. Often grazes on land in pastures.

Wetlands, shallow lakes, flooded grasslands, marshes, and coastal bays.

Migratory, traveling south from northern breeding grounds to wintering areas in temperate zones.

Nests on the ground hidden in vegetation near water. Lays 7 to 10 creamy-white eggs, incubated solely by the female.

American Wigeon. Distinguished by the American wigeon's grey head with a green eye patch, whereas the Eurasian wigeon has a reddish-brown head with a pale crown.

Acts as a seed disperser and plays a role in wetland food webs by grazing on aquatic vegetation.

Least Concern (IUCN)

Look for them in mixed flocks of dabbling ducks on shallow lakes, flooded fields, and coastal estuaries during winter.

Eurasian wigeons frequently steal food from diving ducks or coots that surface with aquatic plants.