European wigeon
Quick Summary
The European wigeon (Anas or Mareca penelope) is a species of dabbling duck found across the Palaearctic region and occasionally in the Nearctic. These ducks are popular game birds and are considered excellent table fare.1
The male European wigeon is distinguished by its reddish head, cream forehead, and gray back. This differs from the American wigeon, or baldpate (A. americana), whose male has a white crown and green eye stripe. European wigeons graze extensively on young grasses and are known to steal eelgrass from diving ducks.12
The wigeon belongs to the family Anatidae, which is characterized by a skin-covered, lamellate bill and a thick, fleshy tongue adapted for sifting food from mud or the bottom of water bodies.2
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wigeonThe European wigeon (Anas, or Mareca, penelope) ranges across the Palaearctic and is occasionally found in the Nearctic regions. The American wigeon, or baldpate (A. americana), breeds in northwestern North America and winters along the U.S., Mexican, Central American, and Caribbean coasts, as well as onā¦
Read MoreThe European wigeon (Anas, or Mareca, penelope) ranges across the Palaearctic and is occasionally found in the Nearctic regions. The American wigeon, or baldpate (A. americana), breeds in northwestern North America and winters along the U.S., Mexican, Central American, and Caribbean coasts, as well as onā¦
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anseriformAnatomyThe European widgeon (Anas penelope), on the other hand, grazes extensively, but its bill differs little from the typical duck billāflattened with platelike lamellae. This is used for sifting particles out of mud or picking up food items from the lake bottom as the bird upendsā¦
Read MoreThe European widgeon (Anas penelope), on the other hand, grazes extensively, but its bill differs little from the typical duck billāflattened with platelike lamellae. This is used for sifting particles out of mud or picking up food items from the lake bottom as the bird upendsā¦
Read More