Identification

There are usually over 10 records every year of American Wigeon in Britain. It is likely that at least some of these are simply birds that have escaped from wildfowl collections but we also know that some of the birds seen here had been ringed in the wild in Canada. The adult males are the easiest to identify, with their white, rather than orange, crowns and a broad green stripe through the eye, tapering to the nape. From a distance this can look like a black eye patch, contrasting markedly with the white forehead. Females and juveniles look much more similar to our Wigeon but they too can often show a strong hint of a dark eye patch. The rest of the head is paler and greyer than on a European Wigeon, so look out too for a contrast between the grey head and a rufous breast. To clinch the identification wait for the bird to flap its wings and look for a strikingly clean white ‘armpit’.

Habitat

Usually seen in the same habitats as Eurasian Wigeon, namely freshwater lakes, marshes and wet meadows

Migration

From breeding grounds, they move south to winter on the coastal Atlantic region on the Gulf of Mexico and from British Columbia- south on coastal Pacific. May go as far south as Neotropical Colombia.

This information is taken from the BirdFile on the appropriate BirdGuides DVD-ROM. As well as video and sounds, our CD- and DVD-ROMs contain additional text on Voice, Sexing, Ageing, Food, Nests and Eggs and more.

For the purposes of our bird news services, American Wigeon is classed as Scarce: broadly speaking, species that are covered in British Birds' annual review of scarce species (and forms of similar rarity).

Saltholme RSPB, Cleveland 23/04/2010	Caerlaverock, Dumf & Gall 06/04/2010	Caerlaverock, Dumf & Gall 06/04/2010	Caerlaverock, Dumf & Gall 23/03/2010	Caerlaverock, Dumf & Gall 09/03/2010
Caerlaverock, Dumf & Gall 12/03/2010	Caerlaverock, Dumf & Gall 16/03/2010	Martin Mere, Lancs 14/03/2010	Caerlaverock, Dumf & Gall 13/03/2010	Caerlaverock, Dumf & Gall 13/03/2010

 View all pictures of American Wigeon

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http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob1800.htm   BTO BirdFacts: American Wigeon	Edit this link
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