Anas americana (American Wigeon / Baldpate)

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Dutch:

Amerikaanse Smient

Common Names in English:

American Wigeon, American Wigeon / Baldpate, Bald Wigeon, Bald-Crown, Bald-Head, Bald-Pate, Baldpate, Blue-Billed Wigeon, California Wigeon, Green-Headed Wigeon, Poacher, Smoking Duck, Southern Wigeon, Wheat Duck, White Belly

Common Names in French:

Canard à Front Blanc, Canard D'amèrique, Canard D'amérique, Canard D'am�rique, Canard Siffleur Américain

Common Names in German:

Nordamerikanische Pfeifente

Common Names in Italian:

Fischione Americano

Common Names in Japanese:

アメリカヒドリ

Common Names in Spanish:

Anade Silvon Americano, Pato Chalcu�n, Pato Chalcuán, Silbón Americano

Description

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Physical Description

Adult Female: Head : grayish to buff, mottled with black Bill: gray with black tip Neck: gray Body: Back: brown Breast: pinkish brown Mantle: gray-brown, marked with tawny buff Sides: rufous brown or cinnamon Legs : Femorals: rufous brown.Adult Male: Head: gray Crown: white Shape : round Face : Forehead: white Postocular Stripe : green Bill: blue gray with black tip Neck: whitish, mottled with black Body: Belly: white Breast: reddish brown Chest: purplish Mantle: pinkish brown Rump : white sides Sides: pinkish brown Upperparts: white Legs: Femorals: white at rear Tail: black Uppertail Coverts: black.Basic: Head: Shape: round Bill: bluish, with black tip Size: small.

Color:

Adult male alternate: Alternate plumage worn from fall through early summer · White crown · Green post-ocular stripe · Streaked gray lower face and neck · Rusty breast and flanks · Dark brown back · White patch at rear portion of flanks · Black undertail coverts

Adult male basic: Similar to adult female but usually retains rusty flanks and white forewing

Adult female: Blue bill with black tip · Mottled dark brown body plumage with rustier flanks contrasting with paler head and neck · Dusky eye patch

Size/Age/Growth

About 18 to 23 inches long, with a wingspan of 30 to 35 inches. Adults weigh about 27.2 ounces .

Habitat

Found in tidewater areas, ponds , and lakes .

Vegetation: freshwater lakes and ponds, freshwater marshes • Maximum Elevation: 2,300 meters • Sensitivity to Disturbancet: Low

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 3,793 meters (0 to 12,444 feet).[1]

Biology

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Diet

Primarily: Green Plant Matter Seeds. Lesser Quantities of: Aquatic Invertebrates .

Reproduction

Breeding Habitat : Wetland-open water
Clutch Size: 6-12
Length of Incubation : 23-25 days
Days to Fledge : 37-48
Number of Broods: 1

Migration

Migratory

Taxonomy

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Kingdom: Animalia () - animals
- Phylum: Chordata () - Chordates
  - Class: Aves () - Birds
    - Order: Anseriformes () - Ducks, Geese
      - Subfamily: Anatinae ()
        Tribe: Anatini ()
        Genus: Anas () - Linnaeus 1758 Syst.Nat.ed.10 p.122
        Specific name: americana - Gmelin 1789 Syst.Nat. 1 pt2 p.526
        Scientific name: - Anas americana Gmelin 1789

Unambiguous Synonyms

Mareca Americana

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 17-Oct-2001.

Similar Species

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Eurasian Wigeon

Members of the genus Anas

There are approximately 186 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

More Info

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Notes

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Contributors

BirdLife International 2004. Anas americana. In: IUCN 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org . Downloaded on 21 October 2006.
BirdLife International 2004. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 18, 2008.
Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 and ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2007. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed March 21, 2007.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 11, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 19 providers.
Hines, J. E., Gregory Gough, J. R. Sauer, et al. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Parker III, T.A., D.F. Stotz, and J.W. Fitzpatrick, and quot;Ecological and Distributional Databases for Neotropical Birds, and quot; in Neotropical Birds: Ecology and Conservation, by D.F. Stotz, T.A. Parker III, J.W. Fitzpatrick, and D.K. Moskovits (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996). ISBN 0-226-64676-9.
Peterson, Alan P. Zoological Nomenclature Resource. Accessed June 19, 2009.
Sauer, J. R., J. E. Hines, and J. Fallon. 2005. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966 - 2004. Version 2005.2. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
Sauer, J. R., S. Schwartz, and B. Hoover. 1996. The Christmas Bird Count Home Page. Version 95.1. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 11, 2008:

Avian Knowledge Network: eBird
Avian Knowledge Network: Great Backyard Bird Count
Avian Knowledge Network: Project FeederWatch
Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum: Bishop Museum Natural History Specimen Data
Bird Studies Canada: BC Coastal Waterbird Survey
Bird Studies Canada: Marsh Monitoring Program - Birds
Bird Studies Canada: Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas 1981-1985
Bird Studies Canada: Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas 2001-2005
Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics
Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: North West Territories and Nunavut Bird Checklist, Canada
Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Ontario Nest Records
Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Provincial Museum of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. Birds (Aves)
Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Royal British Columbia Museum
Canadian Museum of Nature: Canadian Museum of Nature Bird Collection
Finnish Museum of Natural History: Hatikka Observation Data Gateway
GBIF-Sweden: Birds (GBIF-SE:Artdatabanken)
Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Bay of Fundy Species List (OBIS Canada)
Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: SEAMAP - marine mammals, birds and turtles
Marine Science Institute, UCSB: Paleobiology Database
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University: MCZ Ornithology Collection
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology: Terrestrial vertebrate specimens
New Brunswick Museum: NBM birds
Royal Ontario Museum: Bird specimens
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History: Santa Barbara Musem of Natural History
UCLA-Dickey Bird Collection (UCLA-Dickey): Bird specimens
UK National Biodiversity Network: Argyll Bird Club - Bird records for Argyll for the years 2002 and 2003
UNIBIO, IBUNAM: CNAV/Coleccion Nacional de Aves
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology (UMMZ): Bird specimens

Identifiers

Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 3854364
Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-175094
Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13729682
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 175094
IUCN ID: 47183
Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: ABNJB10180
Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 7224

Footnotes

Mean = 596.350 meters (1,956.529 feet), Standard Deviation = 814.680 based on 19,999 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

Anas americana

Common Names

Description

Physical Description

Size/Age/Growth

Habitat

Biology

Diet

Reproduction

Migration

Taxonomy

Unambiguous Synonyms

Notes

Similar Species

Members of the genus Anas

More Info

Further Reading

Notes

Contributors

Data Sources

Identifiers

Footnotes