Eurasian wigeon

Mareca penelope (Anas penelope)

Europese smient / Pfeifente / Canard siffleur

Mareca penelope (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) was previously placed in the genus Anas.

The Eurasian wigeon, also known as widgeon or Eurasian widgeon is one of three species of wigeon in the dabbling duck genus Anas. It is common and widespread within its range. This species was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 under its current scientific name.

It breeds in the northernmost areas of Europe and Asia. It is the Old World counterpart of North America's American wigeon. It is strongly migratory and winters further south than its breeding range. It migrates to southern Asia and Africa. In Great Britain and Ireland, the Eurasian wigeon is common as a winter visitor, but scarce as a breeding bird in Scotland, the Lake District, the Pennines and occasionally further south, with only a handful of breeding pairs in Ireland. It can be found as an uncommon winter visitor in the United States on the mid-Atlantic and Pacific coasts. It is a rare visitor to the rest of the United States except for the Four Corners and the southernAppalachians.

This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is extremely large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern (IUCN, 2012).

The global population is estimated to number c.2,800,000-3,300,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2006), while national population sizes have been estimated at c.100-10,000 breeding pairs and c.1,000-10,000 wintering individuals in China and c.50-10,000 wintering individuals in Taiwan (Brazil 2009).

More information: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22680157/0

Above: adult male Eurasian wigeon

Above: adult female Eurasian wigeon

Above: adult pair of Eurasian wigeons (male in back)

Above: adult male Eurasian wigeon

Above: adult male Eurasian wigeon, whistling

Above: adult female Eurasian wigeon

Above: adult pair of Eurasian wigeons

Ducks of the genus Mareca. Click to enlarge.