How to Identify a Wigeon Duck

Observation of the feeding behaviors of the American wigeon (Anas Americana) provides just one of the ways you can identify this species of duck. American wigeon populations are rising, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which means that your chances are greater that you might have an encounter with this bird at shallow lakes, ponds and marshes. Its summer range encompasses most of Canada and parts of Alaska, as well as the Pacific Northwest, and it extends east to Minnesota, with winter haunts typically along both coasts and the Gulf of Mexico.

Instructions

    • 1

      Look for a medium-sized duck that measures approximately 18 to 23 inches in length, with a wingspan of as much as 33 inches. The weight of a wigeon varies, with the largest birds being considered heavy at just over 3 lbs.

    • 2

      Identify a male wigeon by its head colors, including the greenish patch that extends from right behind the eye to the neck. The male also has a white area of plumage beginning at the point where the top of its bill meets its face and going back to the crown of its head, giving the bird the nickname of "baldpate," according to the "National Audubon Society Field Guide to Birds: Eastern Region." Males also possess an easily seen white patch on the shoulder, especially when the bird flies.

    • 3

      Observe the colors of the female wigeon, which do not include the green or white patches on the head. The female wigeon instead has a gray-and-white head, with the remainder of its body being shades of brown-red and grayish-brown. The young, immature wigeon's coloring resembles that of the female.

    • 4

      Examine the short bill of the American wigeon duck. The bill is stout and has a bluish-gray tint to it, but with a black tip.

    • 5

      Watch as the American wigeon pilfers vegetation away from other types of ducks, including scaup and redheads, as they bring their food up to the surface after dislodging it from the water's bottom. Wigeons commonly linger at the surface, waiting for these other birds to appear from a dive. When they do, the wigeon will steal their food from them. Wigeons also dive themselves to get aquatic plants, bugs and mollusks, and they sometimes move into grain fields to feed.