Mareca is a genus or subgenus of ducks in the family Anatidae that includes the wigeons.

The genus Mareca was introduced by English naturalist James Francis Stephens in 1824. The type species is the Eurasian wigeon. The name of the genus is from the Portuguese word Marreco for a small duck. The species now placed in this genus were formerly placed in the genus Anas. A molecular phylogentic study comparing mitochondrial DNA sequences published in 2009 found that the genus Anas, as then defined, was not monophyletic. Based on the published phylogeny, the genus Anas was split into four monophyletic genera with five extant species moved into the resurrected genus Mareca.

Species

The genus Mareca contains five extant species and one extinct species:

Genus Mareca – Stephens, 1824 – two species
Common nameScientific name and subspeciesRangeSize and ecologyIUCN status and estimated population
Gadwall Male FemaleMareca strepera (Linnaeus, 1758) two subspecies M. s. strepera (Linnaeus, 1758)†M. s. couesi (Streets, 1876)Europe, Asia and central North AmericaSize: Habitat: Diet:LC
Falcated duck Male FemaleMareca falcata (Georgi, 1775)Eastern AsiaSize: Habitat: Diet:LC
Eurasian wigeon Male FemaleMareca penelope (Linnaeus, 1758)Europe and AsiaSize: Habitat: Diet:LC
Chiloé wigeon Male FemaleMareca sibilatrix (Poeppig, 1829)Southern South AmericaSize: Habitat: Diet:LC
American wigeon Male FemaleMareca americana (Gmelin, JF, 1789)North of Canada and Alaska and also in the Interior West through Idaho, Colorado, the Dakotas, and Minnesota, as well as eastern Washington and OregonSize: Habitat: Diet:LC
Amsterdam wigeonMareca marecula (Olson & Jouventin, 1996)Île Amsterdam in the French Southern and Antarctic LandsSize: Habitat: Diet:EX

Phylogeny

Cladogram based on the analysis of Gonzalez and colleagues published in 2009.

MarecaAmerican wigeon Chiloé wigeon Eurasian wigeon Falcated teal Gadwall
American wigeon Chiloé wigeon Eurasian wigeon
American wigeon Chiloé wigeon
American wigeon
Chiloé wigeon
Eurasian wigeon
Falcated teal Gadwall
Falcated teal
Gadwall