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Taxonomic Index
(with search function)Bird Sightings : : Hebrides : Wigeon
Wigeon
(Widgeon, Eurasian Wigeon, Eurasian Widgeon, European Wigeon, European Widgeon)Anas penelope
Gaelic: Glas-lach, lochlannach
Photograph © Debbie Bozkurt
Benbecula - Outer Hebrides (Western Isles)
18th February, 2007
Our Wigeon photographs
- Wigeon (Widgeon, Eurasian Wigeon, Eurasian Widgeon, European Wigeon, European Widgeon)
- Anas penelope
- Gaelic: Glas-lach, lochlannach
- UK: Resident breeder, winter visitor (See it in large numbers from coast)
- UK: AMBER LIST. Breeding 300-500 pairs. Wintering 426,000 birds RSPB
- WI: Scarce breeder (1-9 breeding pairs), and fairly common winter visitor (occurs in small numbers)
- Breeds: Nests on ground, near water in dense vegetation. Lays 6-12 eggs - female rears young. Northernmost Europe (Including C+N Scotland, N England, with N Scotland having UK majority). Asia.
- Winters: Strongly migratory - South of breeding range. Gregarious outside of breeding season & forms large flocks - up to 86,000 birds. Many birds from Iceland, Scandinavia & Russia winter in UK at just a few sites so it is on Amber List.
- Habitat: Open wetlands, wet grassland, marshes (usually with some taller vegetation)
- Diet: (Herbivore) Grazing for food - has short, serrated-edged bill. Herbs, grasses, Wigeon grass, eelgrass, algae, roots. Also dabbling, pondweeds & other aquatic plants
- Medium-sized, round-headed dabbling duck (42-50cm length). Small bill. Breeding male grey body. Black rear-end. Large white wing-patch. Pink breast. White belly. Chestnut head & neck. Creamy-buff/yellowish-orange forehead. (American Wigeon's is creamy-white). Non-breeding male fairly similar to female. Female light-brown, & similar to female Mallard.
- Listen to a Wigeon (RSPB site). Noisy! Male: resonant far-travelling whistle. Female: low growl
- Typical lifespan 3yrs. Max recorded lifespan 34yrs 7mths
- Similar birds Mallard
- Similar bird: American Wigeon (rare here). Female & male Wigeon out of breeding season similar to Mallard
Wigeon records in the Western Isles
Scarce breeder (1-9 breeding pairs), and fairly common winter visitor (occurs in small numbers)
Source: Outer Hebrides Bird Report (2001)
On the chart below the darker the shade of blue the more abundant the Wigeon is during a month or the more likely you are to see it.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
(Source: Outer Hebrides Birds Checklist)
Male and female Ducks and their collective nouns
Some people use the word duck only for an adult female and drake for an adult male whilst others say hen and drake.
Collective nouns for wigeon: a coil, a company, a trip,
Waterfowl collective nouns (From WIKI): waterfowl (on water) A raft waterfowl A bunch of waterfowl waterfowl (less than 30) A knob ducks, swimming A paddling of ducks waterfowl A plump ducks, idle in water A raft of ducks ducks, diving A dopping of ducks ducks, on ground A badelynge of ducks ducks, flying A flight, plump, or team of ducks ducks A brace, bunch , flock, skein, sord, string, brace, flush
Debbie's online photo album
Sources of information for the bird sightings section
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