Very rare in Northern Arizona, this Eurasian Wigeon (presumably the same bird) has been present at the golf course ponds in Continental for the last two winters.  It was first discovered by John Hildebrand on 4 January 2007.  This winter it was first seen on 20 November 2007 by Lauren Harter and was photographed by Lauren on 27 February 2008.    Hybrids between Eurasian and American Wigeon are frequent in Arizona and must be carefully separated from pure Eurasians.  A bird in this same location in 2005 was possibly a hybrid.  Note the pure gray sides of this bird and the solid rufous head which indicate this bird is not a hybrid.

Submitting photos to AZFO does not constitute reporting a rare bird for consideration as an official record. To ensure that a record becomes official, details or photos of Sketch Details Species should be sent to the Editors of North American Birds and a full report of Review Species should be submitted to the Arizona Bird Committee. Most rare birds are under documented and subsequent observers of a rarity are always encouraged to submit reports and additional photos, especially for birds that are challenging to identify.  Eurasian Wigeon is an ABC Sketch Details species.