General

Eurasian Wigeon: Large dabbling duck with gray back and finely speckled gray flanks. Head is dark rufous-brown with buff crown and forehead; breast is pink-brown and belly is white. Bill is blue-gray with black tip. Wings have white shoulder patches and green speculum visible in flight. Female is orange washed gray-brown overall with heavy mottling and speckling; belly is white. Juvenile resembles female but is browner. Eclipse male resembles female but is much brighter rufous-brown and retains white shoulder patches.

Range and Habitat

Eurasian Wigeon: Breeds from Iceland, British Isles, and Scandinavia to eastern Siberia and Kamchatka, and south to northern Europe, central Russia, and northern China. May visit the Pacific coast from Alaska to Baja California and the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Labrador and Newfoundland south to Florida and west to southern Texas. Prefers marshes, ponds, lakes, and tidal flats.

Breeding and Nesting

Eurasion Wigeon: These wigeons form monogamous pairs. Seven to nine creamy white to pale buff eggs are laid in a shallow ground depression lined with grass and feathers, usually built near water and hidden in tall grass. The female incubates the eggs for 24 to 25 days. The young fly at 60 to 70 days.

Foraging and Feeding

Eurasian Wigeon: These wigeons are aquatic grazers, and feed primarily on pondweeds, eelgrass, other aquatic plants and grass. They forage in shallow water, fields and meadows and on irrigated agricultural lands by picking food from the surface. They feast on leaves, stems, seeds, and insects in the summer.

Vocalization

Eurasian Wigeon: Males emit simple "whee-OOO" whistles. Females growl or emit low purrs.

Similar Species

Eurasian Wigeon: American Wigeon has gray head with thick green eye mask extending down neck.