How to Identify aGadwall
Mareca strepera · 18.1–22.4 in (46–57 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Finely patterned gray body with a brown head and a sharply contrasting black stern.
Female
Mottled brown much like a female Mallard but with a thinner orange-edged bill and a white wing patch.
Male photo: Andreas Trepte / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Female photo: Andreas Trepte / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 2.5
Field marks
- Black rear end on an otherwise gray male
- Square white patch on the inner wing, visible even swimming
- Steep forehead and slim bill
- No colourful speculum
Similar species
What it sounds like
A short nasal "raeb" from the male and a Mallard-like quack from the female.
Behaviour that gives it away
Like the wigeon it often steals food brought up by diving birds rather than working for it.
Habitat & range
Marshes, ponds, reservoirs and prairie potholes across the continent.
When you'll see it
Depending on where in North America you are, it is present all year and a winter visitor.
What it eats
Aquatic plants, plus some invertebrates.
Did you know?
Its plain gray plumage is intricately vermiculated up close — one of the most finely patterned of all ducks.
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