U4701

Federal Duck

American Wigeon

Summer 2026 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 34 U4701 — Federal Migratory Duck Stamp —American Wigeon — 6/25/10

The American wigeon is a medium-sized bird, and the male is striking with a mask of green feathers around its eyes and a cream-colored cap running from the crown of his head to his bill.

This white patch gives the wigeon its other name — the baldpate. There are large, white patches on the solders of each wing that flash as the birds bank and turn. These attractive ducks breed on wetlands in the Boreal Forest and subarctic river deltas of Canada and Alaska. Key wintering areas include the Central Valley of California and Washington's Puget Sound as well as the Texas Panhandle, the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas and the Caribbean.

This attractive cover received a Planty Award in 2010 and features a closeup of a male wigeon with marshland and flowers in the foreground and a moose and mountains in the background. The cancel is from Duck Stamp Station, Hanover, Maryland and has a pictorial of a duck in flight. This is the first time this Duck first day cover has been offered in a mail sale.