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General Comments:
The American Wigeon is approximately 14 inches long
with a wingspan of around 34 inches. It is often
called "baldpate," for the male's gleaming
white forehead and crown that make him instantly
recognizable in a mixed flock of ducks. He has green
patches on the sides of his grey head as well, and his
breast and sides are a rich pinkish brown. In flight,
he flashes large white patches on the upper wings. The
female is mottled brown, but her contrasting grey head
and neck usually serve to distinguish her from female
gadwalls and pintails. Her wing-patches are more dingy
grey but still recognizable. Both have a blue bill
with black on the tip.
Wigeons eat aquatic plants, seeds and insects, and
feed on the surface of the water with their heads down
and tails in the air. Called "dabbling" or
"puddle ducks," they have small webbed feet
and can walk better on land than diving ducks. Diving
ducks feed on the bottoms of ponds and marshes, have
larger feet and waddle when they walk. Their wings are
small, forcing them to run across the water when they
take off. Dabblers have large wings, compared to their
body size, and fly with more control. This enables
them to quickly take flight when startled.
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