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search Male (rear) and female (front) Eurasian Wigeons
Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Anas
Subgenus: Mareca Male (front) and female (rear) American Wigeons
Male (rear) and female (front) Chiloé Wigeons  The wigeons are
dabbling ducks in the genus Anas. There are three extant
species: the Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope), the American
Wigeon (A. americana) and the Chiloé Wigeon (A. sibilatrix). A
fourth species, the Amsterdam Island Duck (Anas marecula), is
believed to have become extinct around 1800.  Widgeon is an
alternative, though archaic, spelling; the American Wigeon has
in the past been known as the Baldpate. All three are similarly
shaped, with a steep forehead and bulbous rear to the head.
Males have a distinctive breeding plumage, in their eclipse
plumage they resemble females, which are similar in appearance
year-round.[citation needed] The three species' c