American Wigeons

Animal Unique | American Wigeons | American Wigeon (Anas americana) ducks winter here in Tucson, and they are quite common on the small lake at Agua Caliente Park. They begin migrating northward to their summer range in the northern US and Canada during March and April, and by May they are gone. American Wigeons have pale blue-gray, black-tipped bills and brown-speckled necks. In breeding plumage, a male American Wigeon has a broad, white stripe on the top of his head and an iridescent green eye-patch. Female American Wigeons have a speckled brown head and resemble the males in eclipse (non-breeding) plumage.

The calls of American Wigeons are quite high-pitched and sound very much like a dog's squeaky toy. These ducks feed mainly on aquatic vegetation, and they can be seen feeding on floating plants or dipping their heads underwater to pull up submerged aquatic plants. Because people feed the ducks at Agua Caliente, the American Wigeons there have become semi-tame and will happily join in the splashing melee with the other ducks in hopes of getting some of the free food.

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American Coot

Animal Unique | American Coot |  "Coot" is both the informal name for an eccentric or crotchety old man and the common name of a number of waterbirds in the Rail Family (Rallidae). American Coots (Fulica americana) are not only very common in wetlands here in Tucson, they can also be found throughout most of North America, Central America and the Caribbean.Unlike ducks, American Coots don't have webbed feet, instead their toes are edged with rounded, scalloped lobes that help give them paddling power for swimming. American Coots are charcoal black with a black-ringed white bill with a prominent, black-tipped forehead shield. I had never noticed it before, but the camera's flash reveals that American Coots have dark red eyes that contrast nicely with their achromatic bills and feathers.

Like many in the Rail family, American Coots are quite vocal, and their loud clucking calls sound like a combination of those of a chicken and a duck. However, unlike many of the other Rails, especially the sneaky Clapper Rails (Rallus longirostris), American Coots can usually be found out in the open on the water and even begging for food along with ducks instead of skulking in the reeds and cattails with the Rails. American Coots, like this one at Agua Caliente Park, feed mainly on aquatic plants and other plant material.

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