Eurasian Wigeon

The Eurasian Wigeon is a medium-sized dabbling duck with a rounded head and short blue-grey bill. Breeding males have a chestnut head, creamy forehead and crown, pinkish breast and finely grey-patterned body. Females are warm brown or grey-brown, usually with a contrasting pale belly. In flight both sexes show a pointed rear profile, while males display a large white wing patch (Wikipedia, general species account).

Wigeons feed largely on leaves, stems and seeds, grazing short grass on shore as readily as they dabble for aquatic plants. They use lakes, marshes, estuaries and sheltered coasts, gathering in sizeable winter flocks and sometimes feeding beside geese or coots. Northern breeders migrate south after nesting; in Japan the species is primarily a widespread winter visitor to freshwater and coastal wetlands (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).