TheEurasian wigeon orEuropean wigeon (Mareca penelope), also known as thewidgeon orwigeon, is one of three extant species ofwigeon in thedabbling duckgenusMareca. It is common and widespread within itsPalearctic range.
The Eurasian wigeon was formally described byCarl Linnaeus in his landmark 175810th edition ofSystema Naturae under thebinomial nameAnas penelope.[2][3]Anas is theLatin word for "duck", andpenelope refers to a duck said to have savedPenelope when she was thrown into the sea. Her name derives fromAncient Greek πήνηpene, "braid" and ὤψops "appearance", from the ruse she used to deter suitors while her husbandUlysses was away.[4] Following a study in 2009, 5 species of Wigeon were transferred to the resurrected genusMareca, so the current binomial name is nowMareca penelope.[5]
Thisdabbling duck is 42–52 cm (17–20 in) long with a 71–80 cm (28–31 in) wingspan, and a weight of 500–1,073 g (1–2 lb).[6][7] The breeding male has grey flanks and back, with a black rear end, a dark greenspeculum and a brilliant white patch on upper wings, visible in flight or at rest. It has a pink breast, white belly, and a chestnut head with a creamycrown.[8] In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the drake looks more like the female. The female is light brown, withplumage similar to that of a femaleAmerican wigeon. It can be distinguished from most other ducks, apart from American wigeon, by its shape. However, that species has a paler head and white axillaries on the underwings. The female can be a rufousmorph with a redder head, and a gray morph with a grayer head.[8]
It breeds in the northernmost areas of Europe and thePalearctic.[9] It is the Old World counterpart of the North AmericanAmerican wigeon. It is stronglymigratory and winters further south than its breeding range. It migrates to southern Asia and Africa.[9] InGreat Britain andIreland, the Eurasian wigeon is common as a winter visitor, but scarce as a breeding bird inScotland, theLake District, thePennines and occasionally further south, with only a handful of breeding pairs inIreland. It can be found as an uncommon winter visitor in the United States on themid-Atlantic andPacific coasts. It is a rare visitor to the rest of the United States except for theFour Corners and the southernAppalachians.[6][8]
The Eurasian wigeon is a bird of open wetlands, such as wet grasslands or marshes with some taller vegetation. It 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 is highly gregarious outside of the breeding season and will form large flocks. They will join with flocks of theAmerican wigeon in the United States, and will also hybridize with them.[6] This is a vocal species, with the male producing a distinctive whistle that can be likened to the sound of "pjiew pjiew", while the female has a low growling sound that can be transcribed as "rawr".
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