Pigwidgeon

Pigwidgeon
Biographical information
Also known as	Pig
Physical information
Species	Owl (scops)
Gender	Male
Feathers	Grey
Family information
Family members	Ron Weasley (owner)
Affiliation
Loyalty	Ron Weasley

"I've got to keep him up here because he annoys Errol and Hermes. He annoys me too, come to that."

— Ron Weasley

Pigwidgeon (also known as Pig) was Ron Weasley's pet owl.

Biography

Ronald Weasley and Pigwidgeon.

After Scabbers, Ron's old pet rat, disappeared (having been found out to be Peter Pettigrew), Sirius Black, who felt partly responsible for Ron's loss of a pet, sent him Pigwidgeon (nicknamed "Pig"). Upon receiving the owl, Ron (to the surprise of Harry and Hermione) actually let Crookshanks sniff him to check if he really was an owl. Pigwidgeon was exceedingly hyper, loud, bothersome, very small, and had been known to be a show off for other people. (This, however, pestered other owls, forcing Ron to keep him in his room.)

Pigwidgeon was described by Harry as resembling a "fluffy snitch." He was usually excited for a job to deliver letters, even though most of the time they were usually heavy for him, and was occasionally known to hang around the stairways performing for students (Prompting Ron to call him a "stupid little feathery git" for his attempts to show off rather than promptly bringing Ron the letters). He also delivered food to Sirius when he was hiding in a cave in Hogsmeade.

Pigwidgeon was named by Ginny Weasley, Ron's sister, because she thought the name was cute. Though Ron tried to change it, the owl would not answer to another name. Though he acted very rude to Pigwidgeon in public, Ron Weasley was actually very attached to Pig, since this was his first owl.

Etymology

Pigwidgeon means "small" or "petty" and also can be spelled pigwidgin or pigwiggin. It combines pig with widgeon, two species of duck found in North America and Europe. English author and poet Michael Drayton (1563-1631) had a male fairy named "Pigwiggen" in his comical poem Nimphidia.

Behind the scenes

• J.K. Rowling has said on her website that Pigwidgeon is a Scops owl. These owls are tiny grey owls with little tufts of feathers on their heads. This makes sense as Pigwidgeon is said to fit in a person's fist. Scops owls live in open country with isolated trees and lightly wooded areas containing clusters of trees. They may also be found in run-down buildings, caves, bush-lands, and park-like habitat.
• Pigwidgeon has only made brief appearances in the films to date. He appears with Ron in a promotional still for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and appears briefly in the background while Harry, Ron and Hermione are talking at the Burrow in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)  (promotional image)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7