Bird
American Wigeon
Anas americana
Passes through West Virginia on migration. Found in all 55 counties, across 3 habitats.
- Here
- On migration
- Nesting
- Not known to nest here
- Range
- All 55 counties
- Habitats
- 3

At a glance
- Group
- Birds
- Here
- On migration
- Nesting
- Not known to nest here
- Range
- All 55 counties
- Habitats
- 3
- Habitat models
- Winter
Where it lives
The places its habitat model includes. It is not found everywhere a habitat occurs.
Habitats in West Virginia 3
Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Disturbed and introduced wetlands
Wet ground taken over by weedy or introduced plants after disturbance, such as common reed, Chinese tallow or tamarisk stands; the upland counterpart is roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.
Still water and its edges: ponds, lakes, millponds and reservoirs.
Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground
Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.
Other habitats in its models (30)
Land cover, or classes with no habitat page in West Virginia. Those recorded in West Virginia first, the rest by region.
Elsewhere in the South (16)
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Freshwater Marsh Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Salt and Brackish Marsh Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Indian River Lagoon Tidal Marsh Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Large Natural Lakeshore Winter.
- Central and Upper Texas Coast Dune and Coastal Grassland Winter.
- Central Florida Herbaceous Pondshore Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Dune and Coastal Grassland Winter.
- Florida Big Bend Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Winter.
- Florida Big Bend Salt-Brackish Tidal Marsh Winter.
- Floridian Highlands Freshwater Marsh Winter.
- Mississippi Sound Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh Winter.
- South Florida Everglades Sawgrass Marsh Winter.
- South Florida Freshwater Slough and Gator Hole Winter.
- Texas Saline Coastal Prairie Winter.
Northeast (2)
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Fresh and Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Tidal Salt Marsh Winter.
Land cover and other classes (12)
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Clay-Based Carolina Bay Herbaceous Wetland Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Depression Pondshore Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest - Herbaceous Modifier Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Depression Pondshore Winter.
- Eastern Great Plains Wet Meadow, Prairie, and Marsh Winter.
- Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plain Tidal Marsh Systems Winter.
- Open Water (Aquaculture) Winter.
- Open Water (Brackish/Salt) Winter.
- South-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Herbaceous Modifier Winter.
- Texas-Louisiana Coastal Prairie Slough Winter.
- Unconsolidated Shore Winter.
- Unconsolidated Shore (Lake/River/Pond) Winter.
Seasons in West Virginia
- Migratory: does not nest here, in all 55 counties.
Food plants
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Plants matched by genus.
Native plants in these genera 287
- Myriophyllum verticillatumMyriophyllum verticillatum
- Cutleaf Water-milfoilMyriophyllum pinnatum
- Variable-leaf Water-milfoilMyriophyllum heterophyllum
- Bristly CrowfootRanunculus pensylvanicus
- Greater Creeping SpearwortRanunculus flammula var. reptans
- Lesser SpearwortRanunculus flammula
- Ranunculus hispidus var. hispidusRanunculus hispidus var. hispidus
- Threadleaf Water-crowfootRanunculus trichophyllus
- White Water CrowfootRanunculus longirostris
- Swamp ButtercupRanunculus hispidus var. nitidus
- Kidneyleaf ButtercupRanunculus abortivus
- Allegheny Mountain ButtercupRanunculus allegheniensis
- Bristly ButtercupRanunculus hispidus
- Cursed ButtercupRanunculus sceleratus
- Cursed Buttercup; Cursed CrowfootRanunculus sceleratus var. sceleratus
- Hooked ButtercupRanunculus recurvatus
- Hooked Buttercup; Recurved ButtercuoRanunculus recurvatus var. recurvatus
- Low SpearwortRanunculus pusillus
- Rock ButtercupRanunculus micranthus
- Water-plantain SpearwortRanunculus ambigens
- Sago PondweedStuckenia pectinata
- Mapleleaf GoosefootChenopodium simplex
- Missouri Lambs QuartersChenopodium album var. missouriense
- Lambs QuartersChenopodium album
Plant genera in its diet records (30)
- Myriophyllum Seeds and leaves. 5 diet records. 3 native plants in West Virginia
- Ranunculus Seeds and leaves. 4 diet records. 17 native plants in West Virginia
- Stuckenia Seeds and leaves. 4 diet records. 1 native plant in West Virginia
- Zostera Leaves and roots. 4 diet records. 0 native plants in West Virginia
- Triticum Seeds. 3 diet records. 0 native plants in West Virginia
- Chenopodium Seeds. 2 diet records. 4 native plants in West Virginia
- Eleocharis Seeds. 2 diet records. 15 native plants in West Virginia
- Lachnanthes Seeds and roots. 2 diet records. 0 native plants in West Virginia
- Najas 2 diet records. 2 native plants in West Virginia
- Ruppia 2 diet records. 0 native plants in West Virginia
- Trifolium Leaves. 2 diet records. 3 native plants in West Virginia
- Zea Seeds. 2 diet records. 0 native plants in West Virginia
- Callitriche Leaves. 1 diet record. 4 native plants in West Virginia
- Carex 1 diet record. 161 native plants in West Virginia
- Chara 1 diet record. 0 native plants in West Virginia
- Cladophora 1 diet record. 0 native plants in West Virginia
- Cyperus Seeds. 1 diet record. 16 native plants in West Virginia
- Echinochloa Seeds. 1 diet record. 3 native plants in West Virginia
- Hordeum Seeds. 1 diet record. 1 native plant in West Virginia
- Lemna Leaves. 1 diet record. 5 native plants in West Virginia
- Persicaria 1 diet record. 10 native plants in West Virginia
- Polygonum Seeds. 1 diet record. 4 native plants in West Virginia
- Potamogeton 1 diet record. 18 native plants in West Virginia
- Sagittaria Seeds. 1 diet record. 6 native plants in West Virginia
- Salicornia Seeds. 1 diet record. 0 native plants in West Virginia
- Scirpus Seeds. 1 diet record. 11 native plants in West Virginia
- Typha 1 diet record. 1 native plant in West Virginia
- Ulva 1 diet record. 0 native plants in West Virginia
- Vallisneria Leaves. 1 diet record. 1 native plant in West Virginia
- Zannichellia Leaves. 1 diet record. 1 native plant in West Virginia
Also found in its main habitats
Its main habitats in West Virginia, by how much of its habitat model each one is, with the birds most characteristic of each and the plants that grow wild there. Shared habitat, not food.
Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground
Birds 89
- Cape May WarblerDendroica tigrina
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Upland SandpiperBartramia longicauda
- Rock PigeonColumba livia
- DickcisselSpiza americana
- DunlinCalidris alpina
- Grasshopper SparrowAmmodramus savannarum
- Hoary RedpollCarduelis hornemanni
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Purple MartinProgne subis
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorus
Plants 905
- Pussy WillowSalix discolor
- Crooked-stem AsterSymphyotrichum prenanthoides
- Long Stalk AsterSymphyotrichum dumosum var. dumosum
- Canada LettuceLactuca canadensis
- Annual FleabaneErigeron annuus
- Bushy KnotweedPolygonum ramosissimum subsp. prolificum
- Carey's KnotweedPersicaria careyi
- Carolina Crane's-billGeranium carolinianum
- Common Evening-primroseOenothera biennis
- Cutleaf Evening-primroseOenothera laciniata
- Northern Evening-primroseOenothera parviflora
- Oakes Evening PrimroseOenothera oakesiana
All of roadsides, fields and disturbed ground in West Virginia
Disturbed and introduced wetlands
Birds 112
- Northern WaterthrushSeiurus noveboracensis
- Forster's TernSterna forsteri
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- DickcisselSpiza americana
- DunlinCalidris alpina
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutilla
Plants 12
- Slender FimbryFimbristylis autumnalis
- Blue MistflowerConoclinium coelestinum
- False DaisyEclipta prostrata
- Intermediate Spike RushEleocharis intermedia
- Blunt Spike RushEleocharis obtusa
- Bristly SedgeCarex comosa
- Sensitive FernOnoclea sensibilis
- Heart Leaf WillowSalix eriocephala
- Cuscuta gronovii var. gronoviiCuscuta gronovii var. gronovii
- European Gray WillowSalix cinerea
- Ricefield FlatsedgeCyperus iria
- White WillowSalix alba
Ponds, lakes and their shores
Birds 58
- BuffleheadBucephala albeola
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- Eurasian WigeonAnas penelope
- Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalis
- RedheadAythya americana
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Blue-winged TealAnas discors
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
Plants 109
- Stiff Yellow FlaxLinum medium
- Northeastern BulrushScirpus ancistrochaetus
- Sago PondweedStuckenia pectinata
- Common BladderwortUtricularia macrorhiza
- Horned PondweedZannichellia palustris
- Coastal Plain WillowSalix caroliniana
- Northern St. John's-wortHypericum boreale
- Southern Marsh St. John's-wortTriadenum tubulosum
- White Water CrowfootRanunculus longirostris
- Engelmann's ArrowheadSagittaria engelmanniana
- Grassy ArrowheadSagittaria graminea
- Whiteroot RushJuncus brachycarpus
Sources
- USGS Gap Analysis Project habitat models (2001)
- USGS GAP winter habitat model for American Wigeon
- USGS Gap Analysis Project range maps (2001), modeled by watershed; migratory gives no dates
- NatureServe Explorer (CC BY 4.0), habitat names
- US Census TIGER/Line counties
- Names follow the USGS Gap Analysis Project (2001)
- Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab) (CC0 1.0), diet records by plant genus
























































