The wigeon is a medium-sized duck with a round head and small bill. The head and neck of the male are chestnut, with a yellow forehead, pink breast and grey body. In flight birds show white bellies and males have a large white wing patch.
Wigeons breed in central and northern Scotland and also in northern England. Many birds visit the UK in winter from Iceland, Scandinavia and Russia. With large numbers of wintering birds at a few UK sites, it is an Amber List species.
Aquatic plants, grasses, roots.
This bird species has different identifying features depending on sex/age/season.
Large numbers of wigeons winter on the coast. A great place to see thousands together is on the RSPB Ouse Washes nature reserve in Cambridgeshire.
You can see wigeons all year round.
Footage of a flock of wigeons.
Footage of a flock of wigeons.
Within your lifetime, species such as song thrushes, cuckoos and even hedgehogs could die out altogether. As the UK’s largest nature conservation charity, the RSPB use your donations to restore habitats, protect species and save nature. Give a little today and make a big difference tomorrow. Thank you.
