Gadwall
Mareca strepera
Class
Aves
Order
Anseriformes
Family
Anatidae
Gadwall
Range
North America
Size
Length: 20 in
Wingspan: 33 in
Weight: 2 lbs
Habitat
Breeds mainly in the Great Plains and Canadian prairies; on migration and in winter, foud in fresh and salt water marshes and well-vegetated reservoirs, beaver ponds, farm ponds, and streams
Young
Clutch of 7 - 12 eggs
Incubation: 24 - 27 days
Diet
Aquatic vegetation such as algae, grasses, rushes, sedges, pondweed, widgeon grass, and water milfoil; also invertebrates
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Color Variations
Males are intricately patterned with gray, brown, and black. The male's narrow bill is mostly blackish. Females often loo square-headed with a steep forehead.
Females resemble female mallars, but with a thinner, darker bill. The female's bill is orange with dusky saddle.
Both sexes have a white wing patch that is sometimes visible while swimming or resting.
Young
At hatching, babies are alert, fully covered with down and eyes open. They are ready to leave the nest in a day or two.
Dabbling Duck
This species is a dabbling duck, tipping forward to feed on submerged vegetation without diving.