Western Europe Birds & Birding (#3/52): From the Highland Willow Scrub of Scotland to the Aegean Islands in the Sea of Crete, Western Europe is home to over 800 resident, migratory and vagrant birds. From songbirds to gamebirds and from waterfowl to raptors, you can find birds virtually in every nook and cranny of this beautiful area. *All images showcased in this blog series were taken and edited by me.

A Reflections of the Natural World Blog Post Series by Jim Gain

Physical Characteristics:

The breeding male Eurasian Wigeon boasts a striking appearance. It features grey flanks and back, a black rear end, a dark green speculum, and a brilliant white patch on its upper wings. Its chestnut head with a creamy crown adds to its allure. In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the male resembles the female, which is light brown and shares plumage similarities with a female American Wigeon. The female can exhibit two morphs: a rufous morph with a redder head and a gray morph with a more subdued gray head. The female Eurasian Wigeon can be distinguished from most other ducks by its shape, although the American Wigeon has a paler head and white axillaries on its underwing.

Diet:

Eurasian Wigeons are herbivores, feeding on both aquatic and terrestrial plants. Their diet includes leaves, roots, stems, grasses, grains, and seeds. They particularly enjoy consuming pond weeds, fine grasses, horsetails, and eelgrass. Algae also form part of their menu.

Abundance and Distribution:

These dabbling ducks breed in the northernmost regions of Europe and the Palearctic. They are highly migratory, venturing further south during winter. Specifically:

• In Great Britain and Ireland, Eurasian Wigeons are common as winter visitors but scarce as breeding birds.
• They spend winters in southern Asia and Africa.
• Rare winter visitors can also be found in the United States along the mid-Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
• Their preferred habitats include open wetlands such as wet grasslands, marshes with taller vegetation, slow-flowing large rivers, and shallow lakes and lagoons. They often favor areas surrounded by woods and agricultural land.

IUCN Red List Status:

The Eurasian Wigeon is assessed by the IUCN Red List and is evaluated as Least Concern. This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion.

For more information, you can explore the IUCN Red List and learn about the conservation status of various species.

EURASIAN WIGEON WAS LIFER # 302

Eurasian Wigeon 01 Jan 1995 Newport Back Bay | US-CA

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• European Greenfinch