Mareca penelope
Silhouette: Lauren McLean · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The Eurasian wigeon or European wigeon (Mareca penelope), also known as the widgeon or wigeon, is one of three extant species of wigeon in the dabbling duck genus Mareca. It is common and widespread within its Palearctic range.
The Eurasian wigeon was formally described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae under the binomial name Anas penelope. Anas is the Latin word for "duck", and penelope refers to a duck said to have saved Penelope when she was thrown into the sea. Her name derives from Ancient Greek πήνη pene, "braid" and ὤψ ops "appearance", from the ruse she used to deter suitors while her husband Ulysses was away. Following a study in 2009, 5 species of Wigeon were transferred to the resurrected genus Mareca, so the current binomial name is now Mareca penelope.
This dabbling duck is 42–52 cm (17–20 in) long with a 71–80 cm (28–31 in) wingspan, and a weight of 500–1,073 g (1–2 lb). The breeding male has grey flanks and back, with a black rear end, a dark green speculum and a brilliant white patch on upper wings, visible in flight or at rest. It has a pink breast, white belly, and a chestnut head with a creamy crown... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fukuoka | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 2 | Osaka | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 3 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 4 | Hiroshima | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 5 | Nagoya | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 6 | Tokyo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 7 | Quanzhou | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 8 | Tuen Mun | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 9 | Kitakyushu | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 10 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disney's Animal Kingdom | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | ZooParc de Beauval | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Zoobotánico Jerez | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Parc animalier de Sainte-Croix | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Beijing Zoo | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 7 | Cotswold Wildlife Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 8 | Slimbridge Wetland Centre | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 9 | Körösvölgyi Állatpark | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 10 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Zoo Opole | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 12 | Centro Cicogne e Anatidi | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 13 | Tierpark Hagenbeck | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 14 | Cologne Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 15 | Inokashira Park Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 16 | L'Oceanogràfic | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 17 | Odesa Zoo | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 18 | Kobe Animal Kingdom | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 19 | Cologne Zoo Aquarium | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 20 | Domaine des Oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 21 | Margitszigeti Kisállatkert | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 22 | Sea Life London Aquarium | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 23 | Zooparque Itatiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Wigeon sighting in Olympic National Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 198th most-seen of the 216 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Wigeon in Olympic National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eurasian Wigeon sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
30th of 31
Of the 31 parks where we can rate Eurasian Wigeon sightings, Olympic National Park ranks 30th at under 5%. The best odds are in Kaziranga National Park (India, about 40%), Wadden Sea National Park (Germany, about 40%) and Hortobágy National Park (Hungary, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eurasian Wigeon is recorded against all the birds logged in Olympic National Park (12 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
