Gadwall ( Anas strepera )

Gadwall, Colony Farm Regional Park, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia

Photograph by Alan And Elaine Wilson. Some rights reserved.

Gadwall, LaFarge Lake, Coquitlam, British Columbia

Photograph by Alan And Elaine Wilson. Some rights reserved.

GADWALL FACTS

Description
The breeding male Gadwall is mottled gray with black rump and rectangular white wing patch. The female is brown with white and buff streaks, similar to a female Mallard. The non-breeding male is similar to the female. Both male and females have white secondary wing feathers with black secondary wing coverts - these are obvious when the duck is in flight. Juveniles are similar to adult females.

Size
46cm - 57cm

Environment
open wetlands, prairie lakes, wet grassland, marshes

Food
aquatic plants, insects, mollusks

Breeding
Gadwalls lay five to thirteen eggs which hatch after 24 - 28 days.

Range
The Gadwall is found throughout southern Canada, most of the United States and Mexico.

Classification