Leucistic American Wigeon (Anas americana), Ft. Lowell, Pima County

This leucistic American Wigeon was discovered and photographed by Lee Daniels on 01 December 2010.

Identification of leucistic birds can be tricky.  Size, shape and bill color indicate this is a wigeon.  The brownish gray color on the head indicates a female.  Interestingly, this bird lacks black at the base of the bill. The lack of this black is normally a character for Eurasian Wigeon.  However, in a bird lacking pigment, this character is not very useful.  The head looks more grayish than brownish which suggests American.  Although it is very unlikely this bird is a Eurasian Wigeon, it is not possible to tell for sure in a bird in this aberrant plumage. 

01 December 2010, photo by Lee Daniels

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