Eurasian Wigeon (Mareca penelope)

Other Names (World)
Eurasian Wigeon, Wigeon, European Wigeon, Whistler

Family
Anatidae (Ducks, Geese, Swans)

Size
45 - 51 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Abundance (Guide)
V

A rare vagrant to Australia. A single male was sighted at Canarvon, WA in March, 2013 (see Birding-aus).

Habitat
Breeds on northern lakes and wetlands. In winter on coastal grassland and saltmarshes.

Range (Guide)

Afghanistan (NB), Albania (NB), Algeria, Armenia (NB), Austria (NB), Azerbaijan (B) (NB), Bahrain, Bangladesh (NB), Belarus (B) (NB) (P), Belgium (B) (NB), Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina (NB), Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria (NB), Cambodia, Chad, China (mainland), Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska) (NB) (P), Cyprus (NB), Czech Republic (B) (NB) (P), Denmark (B) (NB) (P), Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia (B) (NB) (P), Ethiopia, Faroe Islands, Finland (B) (NB) (P), France (NB) (P), Georgia (B), Germany (B) (NB) (P), Greece (NB) (P), Guam (NB), Hong Kong (China), Hungary (NB) (P), Iceland (B) (NB), India, Indonesia, Iran [Islamic Republic of] (NB), Iraq (NB) (P), Ireland (B) (NB), Israel, Italy (NB) (P), Japan, Jordan (NB) (P), Kazakhstan (B), Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan (P), Laos, Latvia (B) (NB), Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania (B) (NB) (P), Luxembourg (NB), Macedonia [The Former Yugoslav Republic of] (NB), Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Micronesia [Federated States of] (NB), Mongolia (B), Montenegro (NB), Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles (B) (NB), Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Northern Mariana Islands (NB), Norway (B) (NB) (P), Oman, Pakistan, Palau (NB), Philippines, Poland (B) (NB) (P), Portugal (NB), Qatar, Romania (NB) (P), Russia (Asian) (B), Russia (Central Asian) (B) (P), Russia (European) (B) (P), Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia (NB), Singapore, Slovakia (Slovak Republic) (NB), Slovenia (NB) (P), South Korea, Spain (B) (NB), Sri Lanka (NB), Sudan, Sweden (B) (NB) (P), Switzerland (NB), Syrian Arab Republic, Taiwan (China), Tajikistan, Tanzania [United Republic of], Thailand, Tunisia (NB), Turkey (B) (NB), Ukraine (B) (NB) (P), United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom (B) (NB), USA (NB), Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Western Sahara, Yemen.

Vagrant to Anguilla, Antigua And Barbuda, Barbados, Bermuda, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Greenland, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Papua New Guinea, Puerto Rico, Somalia, St Kitts And Nevis, St Lucia, St Pierre and Miquelon (P), St Vincent and The Grenadines, Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands, Uganda, Venezuela.

Iceland, northern Europe, northern Asia.

Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Population
Estimated population is 2,800,000 - 3,300,000 (2010).

Status LC
Susceptibility to disturbance and avian influenza are the main threats.

For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Food
Plant material, including stems, leaves, roots of grasses, especially eelgrass and algae.

Voice
Male, a far-carrying, whistling 'whee-oo'. Female, a grating purr or growl.

Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (41)...)

Eurasian Wigeon (Mareca penelope) [XC893555]
by Uku Paal from Sp\u00f8ttrup, Skive Municipality, Central Denmark Region, Denmark (call)

Eurasian Wigeon (Mareca penelope) [XC844480]
by Paul Kelly from Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France (call, flight call, nocturnal flight call, short call)

Breeding Season (Guide)
Does not breed in Australia.

Nest
On the ground, among heather, bracken or wiry grass.

Eggs (Guide)
Usually 7 or 8; cream or buff; ellipsoidal. Incubation: about 25 days; by male.

Subspecies
Forms superspecies with American Wigeon (Mareca americana) and Chiloe Wigeon (Mareca sibilatrix). Sometimes placed in genus Mareca.

No subspecies.

References
See References.

The Reader's Digest Book of British Birds 1980, 3rd Edition, Drive Publications Ltd ISBN 0 340 25308 8
Birds in Colour Campbell, B., 1960, Penguin Books Ltd
The Pocket Guide to Nest and Eggs Fitter, R.S.R., 1954, Collins
RSPB Handbook of British Birds Holden, P., Cleeves, T., 2002, A & C Black ISBN 0 7136 5713 8
Birds of Britain and Europe Sterry, P., et al., 2001, AA Publishing ISBN 0 7495 3068 5
The Popular Handbook of British Birds Hollom, P.A.D., 1973, H.F. & G. Witherby Ltd ISBN 0 85493 002 7

Files:

JPG files for Eurasian Wigeon (Mareca penelope) - 10 files

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BirdLife International

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