Eurasian Wigeon

Anas penelope

The Eurasian Wigeon is a medium-sized (47 cm) duck, the male having a gray back and sides, a rufous head and neck, and a yellow-buff crown.  The undertail coverts are black, the belly is white and the wing coverts form a large white patch on the forewing.  In flight the dark wing feathers contrast with the white coverts and a green speculum.  The bill is bluish gray with a black tip, and the legs are gray.  The female has a brown head, neck and breast, rufous brown sides, a white belly and a mottled blackish brown back.

The Eurasian Wigeon feeds almost entirely on vegetable matter such as leaves, stems, seeds and roots of aquatic plants and grasses.  It feeds by grazing on land, by dabbling on the water surface or by head-dipping in shallow water.   

In Taiwan the Eurasian Wigeon is a common winter visitor where it prefers coastal wetlands, bays, freshwater and brackish lagoons and other sheltered marine habitats. 

References:  Handbook of Birds of the World Vol. 1; A Field Guide to the Birds of China (Mackinnon and Phillipps); 100 Common Birds of Taiwan (Wild Bird Society of Taipei)