EURASIAN WIGEON 

 ( Anas penelope ) 



[DA: Pibeand, DU: Smient, EN: Wigeon, FI: Haapana, FR: Canard siffleur, Siffleur 

 d'Europe; GE: Pfeifente, IC: Raudhofdaond, IT: Fischione, JA: Hidorigarae, NW: 

 Brunnakke, PO: Swistun, PR: Assobiadeira , Piadeira; SP: Pato europeo, Anade sil- 

 bon; SW: Blasand, US: European Wigeon] 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION 



As its name implies, the Eurasian Wigeon is an Old World species of duck, 

 occurring as a breeding bird from Iceland across subarctic and northern Europe 

 and Asia to the Bering Sea (AOU 1957, Cramp et al. 1977). In winter it moves 

 to southern Europe and Asia and into northern and central Africa (Cramp et al . 

 1977). The species may breed in the Aleutians, where it is at least a casual 

 visitor in summer (Kessel and Gibson 1978). The Eurasian Wigeon occurs irregul- 

 arly as a migrant and winter visitor in much of the United States; most observa- 

 tions are of single birds. Hasbrouck (1944) summarized early records. Observa- 

 tions reported in American Birds over the past decade (compiled for this report) 

 indicate occurrences in the southeastern states as follows: North Carolina, 6; 

 South Carolina, 2; Georgia, 3; Florid?, 7; Alabama, 1; Texas, 1. 



SUSCEPTIBILITY TO OIL POLLUTION 



Buck and Harrison (1967) correlated decreased counts of birds in the Med- 

 way Estuary in Great Britain with damage to food sources following oil pollu- 

 tion and emulsifier treatment. The Eurasian Wigeon occurs primarily along the 

 coasts in North America (Bellrose 1976, Palmer 1976a) but is such an uncommon 

 visitor in the southeastern United States that development of resources in that 

 area is not likely to have any effect on the population of the species. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 



1980 



Danell, K. and K. Sjoberg. 1980. Foods of Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, and Pintail 

 during the summer in a northern Swedish lake. Viltrevy 11: 141-167. 



Taxonoraic note: Until 1973 this species was regarded by the AOU as Mareca pen - 

 elope , and is called the European Widgeon by the AOU Check-list (AOU 1957) and 

 by Bellrose (1976). We prefer to list it as the Eurasian Wigeon, as did the 

 American Birding Association (ABA 1975) and Palmer (1976a), because this common 

 name better reflects the world distribution of this duck. 



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