Wigeon duck
Wigeons are a type of dabbling duck, identifiable by their round heads, short necks, and small bills. They favour open wetlands and marshy areas, though will make do in rivers and rice paddies as well. Their diet is primarily vegetarian, wetland plants supplemented by grains foraged on dry land. They are common, forming into large flocks and being content to share habitat with other waterfowl outside of the breeding season.
Wigeon ducks are considered a symbol of the month of Descending Water in the field of Dynastic Fashions.
There exist four species of wigeon. The coloration of female wigeons is largely identical regardless of species, grey brown with a light blue-grey bill tipped black. Males are similarly coloured except duringt he breeding seasons, when they take on distinct mating plumage that varies far more widely.
- Isle Wigeon: The breeding plumage of the Isle Wigeon, or Central Wigeon, includes grey flanks and back, with a black rear end and a dark green speculum and a brilliant white patch on upper wings, obvious in flight or at rest. It has a pink breast, white belly, and a chestnut head with a creamy crown. The Isle wigeon is found across the Blessed Isle, and sometimes wayward birds join Eastern wigeon flocks in the River Province. Females tend towards brown shades.
- Eastern Wigeon: The breeding plumage of the Eastern wigeon includes a mask of green feathers around its eyes and a cream colored cap running from the crown of its head to its bill. Their belly is also white. They are found across the East, particularly common in the River Province. Females tend towards grey-brown shades.
- Southern Wigeon: The male and female of the Southern wigeon species share similar plumage, including an iridescent green-blue cap on the head. The cheeks and forehead are white, the eyes are dark brown, and there is a white auricular patch. The neck and occipital part of the head are black. The breast is barred black and white and the plumage of the wings is gray and white. The flanks of males are rust colored, and light brown on females. The legs and feet are gray. Female plumage tends to be slightly more dull than their male counterparts. They are found across the Southern coastal states, particularly Varangia and The Lap.
- Western Wigeon: The Western Wigeon is known from some older texts as a small wigeon of brown plumage dwelling on some Western islands, which did not readily take to flight. It was lost to Creation in the Great Contagion, its god slain trying to defend the last of her charges from Fae hobgoblins. Details are scarce, the few surviving references found mostly in cookery books, which indicate the duck was quite delicious.
