Eurasian wigeon
Mareca penelope (Linnaeus, 1758)
The Eurasian wigeon (Mareca penelope) is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup, belonging to the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes. It is a small, migratory species of wetland habitat, with an adult body mass of 770 g and reported values from 724 to 819 g.
Quick facts about the Eurasian wigeon
Its diet category is omnivore and its trophic level is herbivore, and it forages in the terrestrial stratum. It lays 9 eggs per clutch, one clutch per year, with an incubation period of 24.3 days, and is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
- Weight
- 724 g – 819 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 18.3 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Omnivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 35.2 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- wetlandsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 24.3 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 9src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the Eurasian wigeon
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the Eurasian wigeon live?
Not recorded
What is the Eurasian wigeon?
The Eurasian wigeon or European wigeon (Mareca penelope), also known as the widgeon or wigeon, is one of three extant species of wigeon in the dabbling duck genus Mareca. It is common and widespread within its Palearctic range.
From the Wikipedia article “Eurasian wigeon” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eurasian_wigeon&oldid=1380665046), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the Eurasian wigeon sound like?
Is the Eurasian wigeon endangered?
The Eurasian wigeon is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the Eurasian wigeon classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderAnseriformes
- familyAnatidae
- genusMareca
- SpeciesMareca penelope (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Anas ferruginea, Anas graminea, Anas penelope, Mareca fistularis
Other names and names in other languages (123)
- European wigeonEnglish
- Whistling wigeonEnglish
- WidgeonEnglish
- WigeonEnglish
- АтрышәасAbkhazian
- زاوArabic
- زايArabic
- صوايArabic
- صواي أوراسيArabic
- صواي أوراسياArabic
- ودجون أوراسيArabic
- Aneda chifladeraAragonese
- Fitçi-marekAzerbaijani
- ҠашҡалаҡBashkir
- СвіязьBelarusian
- Качка-свіцьваBelarusian
- Качка-свiцьваBelarusian
- ФишBulgarian
- ইউরেশীয় সিঁথিহাঁসBangla
- Houad penn ruzBreton
- Ànec xiuladorCatalan
- ànec xiulador comúCatalan
- Ҫут ҫамкаллӑ кӑвакалChuvash
- hvízdák eurasijskýCzech
- chwiwellWelsh
- ChwiwellodWelsh
- pibeandDanish
- PfeifenteGerman
- ΣφυριχτάριGreek
- Ευρωπαϊκό ΣφυριχτάριGreek
- (Ευρωπαϊκό) ΣφυριχτάριGreek
- fajfanasoEsperanto
- Pato silbónSpanish
- Silbón EuroasiaticoSpanish
- Silbón europeoSpanish
- viupartEstonian
- Ahate txistulariBasque
- گیلارPersian
- haapanaFinnish
- PípontFaroese
- ennigul ontFaroese
- Canard siffleurFrench
- SmenNorthern Frisian
- SmjuntWestern Frisian
- RualachaIrish
- glas-lachScottish Gaelic
- glas-lachanScottish Gaelic
- Lach-ghlas an TuathScottish Gaelic
- lacha ruaScottish Gaelic
- AsubiadorGalician
- Laagh ruyManx
- ברווז צהוב-מצחHebrew
- Patka zviždaraCroatian
- fütyülő réceHungarian
- ՊենելոպաArmenian
- Itik bungalanIndonesian
- Itik PenelopeIndonesian
- RauðhöfðaöndIcelandic
- fischioneItalian
- Fischione europeoItalian
- ヒドリガモJapanese
- 緋鳥鴨Japanese
- qeerlutoornarnaqKalaallisut
- Сарыайдар үйрекKazakh
- 홍머리오리Korean
- ВӧзьKomi
- WhewerCornish
- PäifintLuxembourgish
- cyplėLithuanian
- eurazinė cyplėLithuanian
- baltvēderisLatvian
- патка свиркачMacedonian
- ചന്ദനക്കുറി എരണ്ടMalayalam
- Зээрд нугасMongolian
- तरंग बदकMarathi
- Itik WigeonMalay
- ဘဲအBurmese
- SmuntLow German
- सिन्दुरे हाँसNepali
- smientDutch
- brunnakkeNorwegian
- ଚନ୍ଦନା ହଂସOdia
- Win·nhePicard
- świstunPolish
- świstun (zwyczajny)Polish
- Świstun zwyczajnyPolish
- یوریشاء وجنWestern Panjabi
- piadeiraPortuguese
- piadeira-comumPortuguese
- piadeira-europeiaPortuguese
- raţa fluierătoareRomanian
- raţă fluierătoareRomanian
- Rață fluierătoareRomanian
- свиягаRussian
- свистунRussian
- свиязьRussian
- или свищRussian
- УткаRusyn
- ТыйаахYakut
- Whistlin deukScots
- SnárttalNorthern Sami
- kačica hvizdárkaSlovak
- kačica hvizdávkaSlovak
- žvižgavkaSlovenian
- navadna žvižgavkaSlovenian
- rosa e detitAlbanian
- kryekuqja e madheAlbanian
- rosa kokëmadheAlbanian
- rosa kryekuqeAlbanian
- ZviždaraSerbian
- ЗвиждараSerbian
- Звиждара (Zviždara)Serbian
- bläsandSwedish
- เป็ดปากสั้นThai
- fivuTurkish
- FiyuTurkish
- СвищUkrainian
- свищ євразійськийUkrainian
- FioVenetian
- Vịt đầu vàngVietnamese
- פּײַף־ענטלYiddish
- 赤頸鴨Chinese
- 赤颈鸭Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the Eurasian wigeon
Other species in the same genus Mareca.
Gadwall
Mareca strepera
American wigeon
Mareca americana
Falcated duck
Mareca falcata
Chiloé wigeon
Mareca sibilatrix
Amsterdam duck
Mareca marecula
American wigeon x Eurasian wigeon
Mareca americana x penelope
CompareEurasian wigeon vs GadwallEurasian wigeon vs American wigeonEurasian wigeon vs Falcated duckEurasian wigeon vs Chiloé wigeon
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the Eurasian wigeon?
The Eurasian wigeon is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup. It belongs to the family Anatidae and the genus Mareca.
How heavy is a Eurasian wigeon?
An adult Eurasian wigeon weighs 770 g, with reported values from 724 to 819 g. This places it in the small size class.
What does the Eurasian wigeon eat?
Its diet category is omnivore, and its trophic level is listed as herbivore.
Is the Eurasian wigeon endangered?
No. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does a Eurasian wigeon live?
The Eurasian wigeon has a lifespan of 18.25 years, with values up to 35.17 years reported.
How many eggs does the Eurasian wigeon lay?
It lays 9 eggs per clutch and has 1 clutch per year. The eggs are incubated for 24.3 days.
Is the Eurasian wigeon migratory?
Yes, the Eurasian wigeon is migratory, and its habitat is wetland.
Who named the Eurasian wigeon?
The scientific name Mareca penelope is credited to (Linnaeus, 1758).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
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Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Eurasian wigeon (Mareca penelope). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/eurasian-wigeon
“Eurasian wigeon (Mareca penelope).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/eurasian-wigeon.
@misc{eurasian_wigeon_2026,
title = {Eurasian wigeon (Mareca penelope)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/eurasian-wigeon},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}