(American Wigeon) duck, duck, goose. Duck, duck, duck goose.
It was the first time I saw a breeding male American Wigeon, the green identifying it. Females have a warm brown body with a dark smudge around its eye.
I scanned the big pond wondering where it might build its nest: dry ground, far from water (40 - 1000 feet) in a field or grassland with tall grass or low shrubs (says All About Birds).
I read that they hang out with other ducks, especially diving ducks, to wait for them to bring up some aquatic plants, especially celery, and then they take it from them. Here is a female wigeon waiting for handouts from a dabbling male Northern Shoveler.
So they are a bit opportunist. The ducks who lose the food don't seem to care report orthinologists. The Widgeon is one of the most vocal of ducks calling alarms when needed so perhaps it's a mutually beneficial partnership.
January 18, 2020
