Life List 026
Visually documented
American Wigeon
Mareca americana
- First photographed
- January 29, 2026
- First location
- Colorado, United States
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
An evolving study
American Wigeon portfolio
This collection grows as I return to photograph new behavior, habitat, seasons, and stages of life.
Natural history
Species at a glance
Mareca americana
Overview
The American Wigeon is a compact dabbling duck that often grazes on land or steals aquatic plants brought to the surface by diving birds. Flocks are especially conspicuous during migration and winter.
Identification
Breeding males have a pale crown, green eye patch, warm pink-brown body, and black rear with a white flank patch. Females are warm gray-brown; both sexes have a short blue-gray bill with a black tip and white wing patches visible in flight.
Range
Breeds mainly in Alaska, western Canada, and parts of the northern and western United States. It winters along both coasts and across the southern United States, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Habitat
Shallow lakes, marshes, ponds, flooded fields, sheltered bays, estuaries, and nearby grasslands used for grazing.
Diet
Leaves, stems, and seeds of aquatic and terrestrial plants, with smaller amounts of aquatic invertebrates.
Photography by Brittany Templin
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