Short abstract from the book: The wigeon is a very rare breeding bird in Denmark but a
very common passage migrant during autumn, mainly in the
Wadden Sea and the Limfjord. The first wigeon was ringed in
Denmark in 1908; most were ringed in the 1960s, mainly in
duck decoys on Amager, Fanø and in Nakskov. The majority
is ringed between September and November.
The recoveries show that many passage migrants derive
from northern Russia around the Urals, with smaller numbers from Sweden, Finland and Iceland. The first arrive in
August, with the majority arriving in September–October. By
the end of November many wigeons have migrated SW, with
the mean position in the Netherlands. Some reach southern
Spain in October and November. During winter most birds
are reported from Great Britain, the Netherlands and France.
The spring migration happens rather quickly, and some of the
wigeons ringed in Denmark during autumn probably take a
more direct route across central Europe to the breeding sites
in central Russia.
A large proportion of the recovered birds have been shot,
of these 31 % in Denmark, 19 % in Great Britain, 18 % in
Russia and 13 % in France.
Read more about the species in the chapter from The Danish Bird Migration Atlashere
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