BIRD OF THE MONTH

January: American Wigeon

by Janine Schutt

American Wigeon

One of Kitsap’s most abundant winter birds is the American Wigeon, which can be found on virtually any local waterway from fall to spring.  Flocks can number from less than ten to more than a thousand individuals.  The larger the flock, the greater the chance one has of finding its cousin, the rusty-headed Eurasian Wigeon.  Here are some fascinating facts about the American Wigeon:

• A medium-sized dabbling duck that often feeds alongside larger Mallards as it forages for aquatic plants near the shore.

• Mostly vegetarian, eating various aquatic and land plants while supplementing its diet with occasional insects.

• A stubby “gooselike” bill enables it to easily nibble on grass in fields and lawns. 

• Breeds across southern and central Canada, Alaska and throughout the upper plains states. 

• Winters along the West Coast, southern United States and as far south as Panama and Colombia.

• Wigeons startle easily.  When feeling threatened, a noisy flock takes off and flies around in a flurry, then settles back down again, often in the same area.

• Courtship begins in winter.  Nests in a scrape on the ground within a quarter mile of water. 

• Clutch size varies but is usually 6 to 12 eggs.

• Females incubate the eggs, which hatch after 22 to 25 days.

• Males do not help raise the chicks, but instead leave the breeding grounds early to molt and get a head start on migration. 

• Females and immature individuals begin migration later.

• Occasionally joins a flock of Eurasian Wigeons to the delight of birders in Asia.