2013 Bonanza Bird #4: American Wigeon
Happy Independence Day to our American readers! Our 2013 Bonanza rolls on -- we're adding new birds each day in July until we reach our 500th Birdorable species! Today's Bonanza bird is the American Wigeon.
Male American Wigeons have beautiful breeding plumage, which includes a shiny thick green eyestripe at the cheeks and a white stripe running from the top of the bill up to the crown of the head. This stripe gives the bird a "bald" appearance. The species was previously known as the Baldpate (pate means head).
American Wigeon by Tony Hisgett (CC BY 2.0)
American Wigeons are dabbling ducks, which means that they feed by grazing vegetation at the bottom of shallow waters. They are almost 100% vegetarian.
Our next new Birdorable species is an over-sized kingfisher! Come back tomorrow to find out what it is!
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