The Wigeon 

 THE WIGEON 



Mareca penelope (Linnaeus) 



The Wigeon is one of our commonest winter visitors, 

 arriving in large numbers from early in September onwards, 

 and frequenting estuaries, bays, and tidal waters, but rarely 

 wandering far inland. Although feeding also on marine 

 insects and Crustacea, it is chiefly a vegetable eater, living 

 almost entirely upon Zostera marina. 



In Scotland a good many pairs remain to breed, and 

 during the summer it frequents high moorlands and inland 

 waters. The nest is placed in a tuft of rushes or among 

 heather, and the eggs, usually ten in number, are of a 

 delicate creamy white. The note is a melodious whistle, 

 which may be expressed as " whee you." 



The male has the head and neck chestnut, with a broad 

 buff stripe extending backwards over the crown ; back grey 

 uniformly vermiculated ; throat and upper neck chestnut ; 

 breast white, vermiculated on the flanks ; shoulders white ; 

 speculum green. In the eclipse plumage the head is dark 

 chestnut, grizzled with brown ; back brown, with chestnut 

 edgings to the feathers ; flanks chestnut ; under parts white. 

 The female is dark brownish grey above, lighter on the 

 wing coverts, and white underneath. Length 18 '5 in. ; 

 wing 10 '5 in. 



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