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.^[1] All three wigeon species hybridise in captivity,^[2] and American and Eurasian Wigeons hybridise in the wild.^[3] An American Wigeon × Mallard hybrid has also been recorded ^[4]

References

Male (front) and female (rear) American Wigeons

Male (rear) and female (front) Chiloe Wigeons

1. ^ Johnson and Sorenson, 1999
2. ^ Jiguet, 1999
3. ^ Carey, 1993
4. ^ Fedynich and Rhodes, 1993

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.