Eurasian Wigeon Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A medium-sized duck, with a rounded head, medium-sized bill, moderately long tail, and broad, pointed wings.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Blue-winged Teal, smaller than a Mallard.

  between crow and goose

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 16.5-20.5 in (42-52 cm)
    • Weight: 17.6-33.5 oz (500-950 g)

  © Greg Gillson / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  An adult male in breeding plumage has a bright rufous-brown head, buffy-cream forecrown, gray body, black undertail, and in the wing a dark green speculum and white patch. Adult females are mostly brown with rufous flanks and white belly. Some females have a rufous-brown head, neck and chest. Nonbreeding adult males “eclipse” plumage are similar to females but darker brown above, with a reddish chestnut body and head, and white forewing patch. Juveniles resemble females; young males gradually acquire a gray body and head pattern. All have a black-tipped, blue-gray bill.

• Behavior

  Eurasian Wigeons forage in flocks for most of the year, finding food by dabbling at the water’s surface or “tipping up,” submerging the head and neck to reach food underwater. They are often in mixed flocks with American Wigeons and other dabbling duck species. Courting males perform animated ritual movements with the head and wings, often gathering in groups to court a single female.
• Habitat

  Breeds near ponds, lakes, and marshes in open and semiopen areas, including partly forested habitats of the north. Winters on freshwater lakes and marshes, saltmarshes, brackish lagoons, estuaries, bays, and other sheltered coastal sites.