Description 18-23" (46-58 cm). Male is brownish
with white crown, green ear patch, and bold white shoulder patches
easily visible in flight. Female is mottled brown with grayish
head and whitish shoulder patches. Bill pale blue in both sexes.
Voice Distinctive whistled whew-whee-whew; also quacks.
Habitat Marshes, ponds, and shallow lakes.
Nesting 9-11 whitish or cream-colored eggs in a down-lined nest
of grass, often several hundred yards from water.
Range Breeds from Alaska, northern Manitoba, and southern Quebec
south to Nevada, Dakotas, and Great Lakes region; rarely farther
east. Winters mainly along Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf coasts.
Discussion The American Wigeon, or "Baldpate," is a
wary bird, taking flight the instant it is disturbed. Flocks rise
straight up from the surface of the water, uttering their whistling
calls. They are often seen on marshy ponds in the company of diving
birds such as coots, Redheads, and Canvasbacks. Wigeons wait at
the surface while the other birds dive, then snatch the food away
when the birds reappear. They also visit grain fields and meadows
to graze like geese on tender shoots. Unlike many dabbling ducks,
these birds often spend the night on large open bays, sleeping
in rafts well out from shore.
