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Birds and Butterflies of Rhodes
RODOPTERA
Mareca penelope
Eurasian wigeon (male). Greek: σφυριχτάρι (αρσενικό). Gadouras reservoir, April 2022.
Passage migrant, rare. Length 42-52 cm, wingspan 71-80 cm. Breeding male with reddish brown head, blue-grey bill, buffy forehead, pearl grey body, pinkish breast, female warm brown overall with pale grey bill. Reservoirs, river mouths with reed beds. Forages by dabbling for aquatic plants, grazes near water. Gregarious, noisy with whistling calls. Takes off by rising swiftly, almost vertically from water.
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