Widgeon

a genus of waterfowl closely allied to the teal. Although the term is applied carelessly to almost any wild duck but the mallard, it belongs properly to a single genus. If one is trying to locate the common American widgeon definitely by consulting a manual, it is well to remember that the scientific name is Mareca Americana. This widgeon is about twenty inches long with a wing spread of thirty-five inches. The bill is blue, with black at the base and tip. The head and neck are grayish, spotted with black. A green patch surrounds the eye. The top of the head is nearly white, giving the bird the name of "bald pate." The upper parts are spotted and pointed with black. The under parts are mostly white. The wing is white, tipped with black. The speculum is green. The widgeon breeds in Canada and winters in Central America. The sportsmen find it a hard bird to take. It comes down the wind cutting the air with a noise that gains for it the name of whistler. The habits of the widgeon are much like those of the canvasback, with which and the teals it customarily associates. Its food consists of such insects, seeds, roots, and worms as may be found by feeding in the water.

The European widgeon is somewhat smaller. It is seen at times on the Atlantic coast of the United States and is not unknown on the Pacific. The head and neck of the European widgeon are of a reddish brown.