“Storm wigeon” is a term for a rare color variation of the American wigeon. Unlike typical birds of the species, they carry a recessive gene that diminishes the usual speckling on their cheeks, giving them a striking creamy-white face that blends seamlessly into the snowy crown on their head. The nickname “storm” is believed to have originated from historical waterfowlers on the West Coast, who claimed to observe an influx of these uniquely colored wigeon arriving with big northern weather syste