American Widgeon
Kiera Garman (2001)

Anas americana

The American Widgeon, sometimes called the Baldpate: males are easily distinguished by their distinct white forehead and crown. The rest of the head is mottled gray, brown and black with a metallic green stripe that runs from the eye to the back of the neck. The body is mostly brown except for the white belly and black tail. Females are mottled brown with grayish heads and whitish shoulder patches. Both sexes have short pale blue bills with black tips. They range in length from 46 to 58 cm.

The diet of the American Widgeon includes grasses, grains, aquatic invertebrates, aquatic vegetation and insects. During the breeding season, wigeons are most likely to eat invertebrates and insects. These ducks will steal aquatic vegetation brought to the surface by coots, Redheads, and Canvasbacks.

The American Widgeons use a slight depression in the ground lined with grass and down for a nest, that is often located 50-400 yards away from the water. They begin breeding in May, and often the young are fledged by August. The average clutch size is 10 eggs, but this can range from 3 to 13. The female incubates the eggs for 22-24 days. The young widgeons quickly develop and can be seen flying at approximately 43 days old.

Each pair of American Widgeons needs about half an acre of habitat. Anas americana is found in several habitats including marshes, lakes, farmlands and brackish coastal areas. They breed from Alaska and Canada to Nevada, South Dakota and the Great Lakes region. In the winter the American Widgeon can be found along the Oregon coast and in the Willamette Valley, as well as the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coastlines. In Oregon, the American Widgeon is found in Portland-Metro area lakes as well as the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge and Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge.

Unlike many species of dabbling ducks, the American Widgeon often spends the night on large open bays, sleeping on rafts several miles from shore. Flocks rise straight from the surface of the water, whistling their calls. The musical “whew-whew” of the males are heard from the flock with more subdued “quack” sounds from the females.

The American Widgeon is a game species in Oregon.

Field Notes:
I went to look for American Widgeons in the pond area on Commercial Street, where I had seen them in previous years. I did not find any specimens, probably due to it being so late in the season.

2001. American Wigeon, [Online] Available: http://www.gbwf.net/waterfowl/wigeon.html [2001, April 19].

2001. American Wigeon, [Online] Available: http://www.i-bird.com/Species/AmerWigeon.htm [2001, April 19].

2001. American Wigeon, [Online] Available: http://birding.about.com/hobbies/birding/library/fg/blfg-anasamerican.htm [2001, April 19].

2001. Anas Americana, [Online] Available: http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/anas/a._americana$media.html [2001, April 19].

Csuti B, Kinderling JA, O’Neil TA, Shaughnessy MM, Gaines EP, Huso MMP. 1997. Atlas of Oregon Wildlife: distribution, habitat, and natural history. Corvallis, Or. : Oregon State University Press. 492 p.

Nehle HB. 1989. Familiar Birds of the Northwest. Portland, OR.: Portland Audubon Society. 184 p.

Udvardy, M and Farrand J. 1994. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds Western Region. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 822 p.