The drake Wigeon is unmistakable with his rufous head and orange crown although from a distance it may be the white horizontal line on the body and the black and white rear end that you notice first. The female is relatively distinctive for a dabbling duck since she is darker, plainer and more rufous than other females with a characteristic head shape: steep at the front, rounded at the back and with a small grey bill. Wigeon often feed in short grass so that are often seen out of the water when, in all plumages, they show a neat rounded white belly patch. In flight, Wigeon are fast fliers with pointed tails and white bellies.The males have an unmissable white patch in the forewing but in females this is duller grey.

Breeds on moorland near lochs, rivers and pools. Winters on estuaries, reservoirs, gravel pits and flooded fields.

Uncommon breeder, mainly in central and north Scotland. Large numbers winter on grasslands and open water throughout the UK, with particular concentrations in the Fens at Welney Wildfowl and Wetland Trust Reserve.

Breeds in much of northern Europe but is most easily seen in winter when huge numbers gather in marshy or coastal areas.

©BirdGuides 1999