Wigeon

"Widgeon" redirects here. For other uses, see Widgeon (disambiguation).

Wigeons
Male (rear) and female (front) Eurasian Wigeons
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Genus:	Anas
Subgenus:	Mareca
Species
Anas americana Anas sibilatrix Anas penelope

The wigeons are dabbling ducks in the genus Anas. There are three species: the Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope), the American Wigeon (A. americana) and the Chiloe Wigeon (A. sibilatrix). Widgeon is an alternative, though archaic, spelling; the American Wigeon has in the past been known as Baldpate. All three are similarly shaped, with a steep forehead and bulbous rear to the head. Males have a distinctive breeding plumage, in their eclipse plumage they resemble females, which are similar in appearance year-round.^{[citation needed]} The three species' closest relatives within the genus Anas are the Gadwall and the Falcated Duck. All three wigeon species hybridise in captivity, and American and Eurasian Wigeons hybridise in the wild. An American Wigeon × Mallard hybrid has also been recorded

References

Male (front) and female (rear) American Wigeons

Male (rear) and female (front) Chiloe Wigeons

Literature cited

• Bailey, H. H. (1919) An interesting hybrid of Mareca penelope (Widgon) and Mareca americana (Baldpate) Wilson Bulletin 31:25
• Harrison, J. M. and J. G. Harrison (1968) Wigeon × Chiloe Wigeon hybrid resembling American Wigeon British Birds 61: 169-171 (requires registration to view full article)
• Watson, G. E. (1970) A presumed wild hybrid Baldpate × Eurasian Wigeon The Auk 87: 353-7
• (Japanese) Shiota, T. (1987) [A challenge in the identificaiton of hybrid American and Eurasian Wigeon] Yacho 496:6, 18-19
• Carey, Geoff J. (1993) Hybrid male wigeon in East Asia Hong Kong Bird Report 1992 160-6
• Fedynich, Alan M. & Olin E. Rhodes, Jr. (1993) Mallard × American Wigeon Hybrid on the Southern High Plains of Texas The Southwestern Naturalist, Vol. 38, No. 2 (Jun., 1993), pp. 179–181, doi:10.2307/3672079 [1]
• Harrop, Andrew (1994) Photo-forum: a presumed hybrid American Wigeon in Grampian Birding World 7:116-7
• Jiguet, Frédéric (1999) Photo-forum: hybrid American Wigeons Birding World 12(6):247-52
• Johnson, Kevin P; Sorenson, Michael D (July 1999). "Phylogeny and biogeography of dabbling ducks (genus: Anas): A comparison of molecular and morphological evidence" (PDF). The Auk 116 (3): 792–805. http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v116n03/p0792-p0805.pdf. 
• MacKay, Andrew (1996) Hybrid wigeon resembling American Wigeon in Leicestershire Birding World' 9:146-7

Identification

• Harrop,A. 1994. Field identification of American Wigeon. Birding World 7:50–56.
• Jiquet, F. 1999. Photo forum: Hybrid American Wigeons. Birding World 12:247–252.
• Larkin, P. 2000. Eyelid colour of American Wigeon. British Birds 93:39–40.
• Votier, S.C., A.H.J. Harrop, and M.Denny. 2003. A review of status and identification of American Wigeon in Britain and Ireland British Birds 96: 2–22 (requires registration to view full article)
• Cox, Cameron and Jessie Barry Aging of American and Eurasian Wigeons in female-type plumages Birding 37(2):156-164

External links

Photographs of hybrid wigeons can be seen here and here.