American Wigeon: Scientific (Mareca americana) Order: ANSERIFORMES: Family (Latin) Anatidae: Family (English) Ducks, Geese, Swans: Other name(s) Canard siffleur d'Amérique: Regions: NA: Breeding Range Subregions: Alaska, Canada and n USA: Nonbreeding Range Subregions: Countries (BETA) map In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole, Editor). Audubon's climate model projects a highly variable seasonal future for the American Wigeon. 2020. eBird Status and Trends, Data Version: 2019; Released: 2020. Only 35% of its summer range will remain stable while the remaining suitable climate for nesting will shift dramatically northward, and if the species can follow the rapid change is an open question. [2][3], The American wigeon is a medium-sized bird; it is larger than a teal, but smaller than a pintail. American Wigeon (Mareca americana) is a species of bird in the Anatidae family. It has a black-tipped pale blue bill. During these months check wetlands, ponds, and nearby agricultural fields and listen for their unique nasal whistle, which is often the first clue that they are around. The greatest numbers winter on the Pacific coast, but it is also found in the southern United States southward to northern South America. It is the Old World counterpart of North America 's American wigeon. The American wigeon is a noisy species, and in the field can often be identified by their distinctive calls. Fink, D., T. Auer, A. Johnston, M. Strimas-Mackey, O. Robinson, S. Ligocki, W. Hochachka, C. Wood, I. Davies, M. Iliff, L. Seitz. The American Widgeon breeds in shallow wetlands throughout its breeding range. As comfortable grazing on land as dabbling in water. It is common and widespread within its range. The range map depicts the boundary of the species’s range, defined as the areas where the species is estimated to occur within at least one week within each season. This species is classified with the other wigeons in the dabbling duck genus Anas , which may be split, in which case wigeons could go into their old genus Mareca again. Habitat in Nonbreeding Range. [10], In 2009, an estimated 2.5 million breeding wigeon were tallied in the traditional survey area—a level just below the 1955–2009 average. breeding ♀ adult plum. Key wintering areas here include the Central Valley of California and Washington's Puget Sound. The American wigeon is also known as the baldpate because of the white crown and forehead on the male. American Wigeon Mareca americana Range map Data provided by eBird. Formerly assigned to Anas, this species is classified with the other wigeons in the dabbling duck genus Mareca. This Old World counterpart to our American Wigeon is a regular winter visitor to the Pacific lowlands from Canada to California. In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the drake looks more like the female. Longer-tailed than Mallard with thinner, pale blue bill. Mareca is from the Brazilian-Portuguese word Marréco for a small duck and americana refers to America. [1] The majority of the population breeds on wetlands in the Boreal Forest and subarctic river deltas of Canada and Alaska. Drakes produce a three note whistle, while hens emit hoarse grunts and quacks. Subspecific information monotypic species. During the winter months wigeon mainly inhabit South Carolina’s Coastal Plain region. The American wigeon is highly gregarious outside of the breeding season and will form large flocks. Breeding males have a green eye patch and a conspicuous white crown, earning them the nickname "baldpate." Learn more. Description identification ♂ adult plum. The American Wigeon is a medium-sized bird; it is larger than a teal, but smaller than a pintail. Wigeon also commonly feed on dry land, eating waste grain in harvested fields and grazing on pasture grasses, winter wheat, clover, and lettuce. It migrates to southern Asia and Africa. Flocks will often contain American coots.[5]. This white patch gives the wigeon its other common name, baldpate (pate is another word for head). American Wigeon range throughout North and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and Hawaiian Islands with rare sightings though out the world. It has a swift direct flight with strong wing beats. Range. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Their belly is also white. Timing and Routes of Migration. [4], The American wigeon is a bird of open wetlands, such as wet grassland or marshes with some taller vegetation, and usually feeds by dabbling for plant food or grazing, which it does very readily. Breeding males have prominent white blaze on forehead and broad green slash behind eye. Shoulder patches are visible in flight. Migration Overview. Although wigeon are found in each flyway, they are most numerous in the Pacific Flyway. Migratory Behavior. In silhouette, the wigeon can be distinguished from other dabblers by its round head, short neck, and small bill. [5], "A review of status and identification of American Wigeon in Britain and Ireland", "Aging of American and Eurasian Wigeons in female-type plumages", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_wigeon&oldid=992242059, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 4 December 2020, at 06:38. [5][8] The conservation status of this bird is Least Concern. They can be distinguished from most ducks, apart from Eurasian wigeon, by shape. It will frequent just about any body of water, but it prefers those with both woods and … breeding. The American Wigeon’s primary breeding range extends from Alaska south through Canada’s Prairie Provinces and the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region. It is strongly migratory and winters further south than its breeding range. [5][6][7] This wigeon has two adult molts per year and a juvenile molt in the first year, as well. Occurrence. Range and Habitat of the American Wigeon. It nests in a variety of freshwater wetlands in Alaska, and in much of Canada and the western United States. Movements and Migration. Having a largely vegetarian diet, most wigeon migrate in the fall well before northern marshes begin to freeze. The American wigeon breeds from western Canada into the American Northwest. The majority of the American Wigeon's breeding range is north of Washington. Key wintering areas here include the Centr… [8] In flight, drakes can be identified by the large white shoulder patch on each wing. The breeding range of the American Wigeon extends from the Bering Sea to Hudson Bay and from the northern tundra to the southern prairies. Number: Usually lay 8-1. It is common and widespread, breeding in all but the extreme north of Canada and Alaska and also in the Interior West through Idaho, Colorado, the Dakotas, and Minnesota, as well as eastern Washington and Oregon. It is long, with a wingspan and a weight of . Range American wigeon can be found across all 4 flyways. It can be found as an uncommon winter vi… American Wigeon Mareca americana. www.BirdPhotos.com Waterfowl "Dabbling Ducks" American Wigeon American Wigeon ( Mareca americana) Female Range: NA ( range map ) info Photo by Nigel from Vancouver The best time to see American Wigeons in the Lower 48 is from August through April. The Wigeon's breeding range is primarily in western Canada and Alaska; however, some breeding occurs in a few northwestern states. Population Trends. Often steals food from diving ducks as they surface. North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS): Relative Abundance and Breeding Distribution (1970-2016) These white patches flash as the birds bank and turn. While on the water, wigeon often gather with feeding coots and divers, and are known to grab pieces of vegetation brought to the surface by diving water birds. In Great Britain and Ireland, the Eurasian wigeon is common as a winter visitor, but scarce as a breeding bird in Scotland, the Lake District, the Pennines and occasionally further south, with only a handful of breeding pairs in Ireland. [4], The hens are much less conspicuous, having primarily gray and brown plumage. Preferred Habitat Wigeon spend the summer months in shallow, freshwater wetlands including sloughs, ponds, marshes, small lakes, and rivers. The American Wigeon nest is a shallow depression lined with grasses, leaves, and down, and is situated on land or on an island. The American Wigeon has a large breeding range of 7,140,000 square kilometers. It winters mainly along the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf coasts and is found throughout the United States during migration. It sometimes winters in southern and central Illinois but usually travels to the southern United States and northern Mexico. It is common and widespread, breeding in all but the extreme north of Canada and Alaska and also in the Interior West through Idaho, Colorado, the Dakotas, and Minnesota, as well as eastern Washington and Oregon. The American wigeon is readily found across Kansas, especially from September through May. This species was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 under its current scientific name. This wigeon has two adult molts per year and a juvenile molt in the first year, as well. The American Wigeon, also American Widgeon or Baldpate, (Anas americana) is a species of dabbling duck found in North America. Look for orangey sides on females. ... American Wigeon (Mareca americana), version 1.0. Foreign names . [9] It is a rare but regular vagrant to western Europe,[5] and has been observed in significant numbers in Great Britain and Ireland since at least 1958. In migration and winter on coastal estuaries, fresh or salt marshes, inland lakes and ponds. The American wigeon (Mareca americana), also called a baldpate, is a species of dabbling duck found in North America. The American wigeon lives in and around marshes, lakes, ponds, flooded fields or open fields. It winters mainly along the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf coasts and is … Small numbers are also seen in winter in the northeast and elsewhere. Range / Habitat: The American Wigeon breeds in northwestern North America and is found throughout the rest of the continent in migration and in winter. [4] The male whistle makes a wheezy whoee-whoe-whoe, whereas the female has a low growl qua-ack. Preferring freshwater in summer, this species is less constrained in winter, when it may be found on rivers and lakes or in saltwater estuaries and bays. Quiet lakes and wetlands come alive with the breezy whistle of the American Wigeon, a dabbling duck with pizzazz. May winter on large deep lakes. The American wigeon breeds from western Canada into the American Northwest. Although wigeon are found in each flyway, they are most numerous in the Pacific Flyway. Geographic range. [5], The breeding male (drake) is a striking bird with a mask of green feathers around its eyes and a cream colored cap running from the crown of its head to its bill. [4] The wing patch behind the speculum is gray. Title American Wigeon Range - CWHR B087 [ds1425] Publication date 2016-02-0100:00:00 Presentation formats digital map FGDC geospatial presentation format vector digital data Other citation details These are the same layers as appear in the CWHR System software. [8] It nests on the ground, near water and under cover. The American wigeon has very large winter and breeding ranges that spread north to the tips of Alaska and Canada, and south through Mexico to the northern parts of South America. It breeds in the northernmost areas of Europe and the Palearctic. The head and neck coloring of the female is different as opposed to the Eurasian wigeon. American Wigeon: This is a medium-sized duck with a brown body, white crown, a large green ear patch extending to the back of the head, buff washed breast and sides and a white belly. [4], The American wigeon is highly gregarious outside of the breeding season and will form large flocks. Although they are one of the earliest waterfowl to reach their wintering grounds, by this time male and female Wigeon have already formed pair bonds, with pair formation usually complete by February. Canard à front blanc, Silbón Americano, https://doi.org/10.2173/ebirdst.2019, Certain products may be unavailable due to insufficient data. . eBird data from 2005-2020. Learn more. Farther east, the Texas Panhandle, the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas, and the Caribbean also support large numbers of wintering wigeon. However, that species has a darker head and all grey underwing. In parts of the Pacific Northwest, examination of any winter flock of wigeon is likely to reveal a male Eurasian among them, because the two wigeon species invariably flock together. For this reason, they are sometimes called "poacher" or "robber" ducks. Range. Winter distribution is concentrated in the lower 48 states and all of Mexico, excluding high elevation Rocky Mountain and Appalachian areas. It is the New World counterpart of the Eurasian wigeon. Conservation status Low concern. Estimated for 2019. Geographic Range. In recent decades, wigeon numbers have declined in the prairie-pothole region of Canada and increased in the interior and west coast of Alaska. More common in the northern portions of the Washington range, and rare to absent in southeastern Washington and the Palouse. The range map depicts the boundary of the species’s range, defined as the areas where the species is estimated to occur within at least one week within each season. It lays 6–12 creamy white eggs. [4] It is 42–59 cm (17–23 in) long, with a 76–91 cm (30–36 in) wingspan and a weight of 512–1,330 g (1.129–2.932 lb). American Wigeons breed in freshwater wetlands in the northeastern corner of the state. It feeds on aquatic plants, insects and molluscs. It winters in a variety of coastal and freshwater wetlands the Pacific northwest, much of the southern United States and the midwestern states north to Nebraska, south through Mexico and the Caribbean to northern South … Females are brushed in warm browns with a gray-brown head and a smudge around the eye. This bird is a rare summer resident. The American wigeon has a large winter range, extending along most of the Pacific Coast (from Alaska to southern Mexico), throughout the Gulf Coast states, and up the Atlantic Coast to New England (National Audubon Society 2019). The conservation status of this bird is Least Concern. [4], This dabbling duck is migratory and winters farther south than its breeding range, in the southern half of the United States, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and the Mid-Atlantic coastal region,[5][8] and further south into Central America, the Caribbean, and northwestern South America. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. While most dabbling ducks are denizens of the shallows, American Wigeon spend much of their time in flocks grazing on land. The American wigeon is often the fifth most commonly harvested duck in the United States, behind the mallard, green-winged teal, gadwall, and wood duck. American wigeon are a medium-sized dabbling duck, and males have a distinctive white patch on their head that historically gave them the nickname “baldpate.” This species can be aggressive when competing for food and is a highly flexible forager, equally at home stealing food from diving ducks in deep water or grazing on turf grasses in urban areas. Habitat in Breeding Range. It is the Old World counterpart of North America's American wigeon. Range. It breeds in the northernmost areas of Europe and Asia. The majority of the population breeds on wetlands in the Boreal Forest and subarctic river deltas of Canada and Alaska. 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