At 4:02 PM -0800 01/11/1998, Michael Kennedy wrote:

>I'm writing to request quick (or lengthy) feedback concerning a male
>American Widgeon visiting a local pond.
>
>The bird in question is unique to me because the cheeks below the green
>swatch which covers the eyes are a smooth and solid cream colour. This
>extension of cream makes it look as if the bald pate has flowed over the
>bird's forehead and down to the top of his chest.
>
>The separation between the cream colour and the back of the neck, the
>top of the chest, and the bill is so sharp that it appears to be marked
>by a black line.
>
>There does not appear to be anything else remarkable about this bird.
>The flanks are the rusty brown of the other widgeons in the pond, and,
>except for the Eurasian x American Hybrid also at the pond, there is
>nothing to suggest that the bird would be anything but a full American
>Widgeon.
>
>My question then - can anyone tell me if they have observed a similar
>bird, or if this bird might be representative of a regular colour
>variation for the species?

Michael et al.:

Thanks for posting this. My wife (JoLynn Edwards) and I observed a male
Eurasian Wigeon here in Medina (a Seattle suburb) this winter that matches
your description exactly. I have been meaning to research the topic ever
since and haven't gotten to it. So, this is a fine opportunity to ask
around, as you have done.

After studying the unusual bird, we spent some time scanning the large
flock it was part of -- maybe 200 wigeons, half of them males -- and found
one other individual where the cheeks were intermediate between the typical
greyish speckled coloration and the cream color, with the cream fading
downward into the "normal" pattern. Other than those two cases, all of the
birds were essentially identical to one another as far as the faces were
concerned.

Hal Opperman
Medina, WA 98039
(425) 635-0503