Eurasian Wigeon Drake

I have tried for what seems to be a long time to get a decent photo of a Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope) drake. Not that the female Eurasian Wigeon is not exciting to view but she looks a lot like the female American Wigeon. This is a shot of the American Wigeon (Anas americana) drake. Click photos for full sized images.

American Wigeon Drake

And the American Wigeon pair.

American Wigeon Pair

Here is the Eurasian Wigeon pair for comparison (note the tan eyelid on the drake).

Eurasian Wigeon Pair

The guide books say that the female Eurasian may have a “warmer head,” but I would be hard pressed to be able to tell them apart if they weren’t hanging around with partners.

Eurasian Wigeon Female

One thing the books are correct on is that the Eurasian Wigeon is much rarer than the American Wigeon. I’ve usually had to scope through hundreds of Wigeon to find a single Eurasian in a group.

Eurasian and American Wigeon Drakes

This day however, I was lucky to find the Eurasians among a group of Americans foraging in a local slough with close access.

Eurasian and American Wigeon Drakes

These are my best shots of the only Eurasian Wigeon drake in the group. I hope you like ‘um.

Eurasian Wigeon Drake

Eurasian Wigeon Drake

Eurasian Wigeon Drake

Eurasian Wigeon Drake

Eurasian Wigeon Drake

Written by Larry
Larry Jordan was introduced to birding after moving to northern California where he was overwhelmed by the local wildlife, forcing him to buy his first field guide just to be able to identify all the species visiting his yard. Building birdhouses and putting up feeders brought the avian fauna even closer and he was hooked. Larry wanted to share his passion for birds and conservation and hatched The Birder's Report in September of 2007. His recent focus is on bringing the Western Burrowing Owl back to life in California where he also monitors several bluebird trails. He is a BirdLife Species Champion and contributes to several other conservation efforts, being the webmaster for Wintu Audubon Society and the Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Urban Bird Foundation. He is now co-founder of a movement to create a new revenue stream for our National Wildlife Refuges with a Wildlife Conservation Pass.