How to Identify an American Wigeon (Mareca americana)

• Head pattern: Male: white forehead and crown with an iridescent dark green patch surrounding the eye and extending onto the crown
• Wing patch (speculum): Male and Female: notable white wing patch and iridescent green speculum in flight, distinctive among North American waterfowl
• Bill: Male and Female: small blue-gray bill
• Body pattern: Male: pinkish-brown breast, sides, and flanks contrasting with white belly and black under-tail coverts
• Head pattern: Female: dark crown streaked with white, gray head contrasting with pinkish-reddish-brown body

American Wigeon's white forehead/crown and green eye patch plus its unique combination of white wing patch and iridescent green speculum separate it from all other North American waterfowl The Gadwall page lists its own marks.

Marshes, lakes, bays, fields; coastal estuaries, fresh or salt marshes, and inland lakes and ponds Breeds across Alaska, western Canada, and the northern Plains; winters across California, the Southeast, and coastal regions continent-wide

Gives a distinctive three-syllable high-pitched whistle with the accented part on the middle syllable

Shoot from water level if you can, with the sun behind you, so head pattern and the wing patch show their true colors. Get one frame with the bird side-on and one as it stretches or flaps, which exposes the speculum and belly. Note who it is swimming with; ducks flock by species. The app names the likely species; confirm with the marks above, and check the female separately, since females of many ducks look alike.