Eurasian Wigeon, pair landing
Mareca penelope
Eurasian Wigeon · Dungeness · 20 December 2025
A pair of Eurasian Wigeon landing on the water at Dungeness in December, wings cupped and feet dropped, the trailing bird's cream forehead stripe just catching the light. Wigeon breed on the lakes of Iceland, Scandinavia and Russia and winter on British marshes and estuaries in huge numbers, and this reserve holds thousands.
Wigeon are grazers more than most ducks, often seen cropping grass on banks beside the water rather than dabbling for it. The drake's call is a clear whistle, "whee-oo", which is the name.
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