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Gadwall

Mareca strepera

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernPlantsWetlandPlatform nestLarge · 916 g
Gadwall (Mareca strepera), photo 1
Photo: Matti Virtala · CC0
Gadwall (Mareca strepera), photo 2
Photo: Bengt Nyman from Vaxholm, Sweden · CC BY 2.0
Gadwall (Mareca strepera), photo 3
Photo: Marton Berntsen · CC BY 4.0
Gadwall (Mareca strepera), photo 4
Photo: Jiro Iguchi · CC BY 4.0
Gadwall (Mareca strepera), photo 5
Photo: Clare Edwards · CC BY 4.0
Gadwall (Mareca strepera), photo 6
Photo: Daughter Dad · CC BY 4.0
Gadwall (Mareca strepera), photo 7
Photo: Jared Shorma · CC BY 4.0
Gadwall (Mareca strepera), photo 8
Photo: Dave · CC BY 4.0
Gadwall (Mareca strepera), photo 9
Photo: Matti Virtala · CC0
Gadwall (Mareca strepera), photo 10
Photo: Bengt Nyman from Vaxholm, Sweden · CC BY 2.0

What the Gadwall sounds like

Sonogram of the Gadwall: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Song · Saint-Jean-le-Thomas, Manche, Normandie, France · CC0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Gadwall: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Alarm call, call, flight call · Miniac-Morvan, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France · CC0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Gadwall: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Owen Camus · Nocturnal flight call · Arrondissement de la Rochelle (near Saint-Xandre), Charente-Maritime, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France · CC0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The gadwall is 47–58 cm (19–23 in) long with a 78–85 cm (31–33 in) wingspan. The male is slightly larger than the female, weighing on average 990 g (35 oz) against her 850 g (30 oz). The breeding male is patterned grey, with a black rear end, light chestnut wings, and a brilliant white speculum, obvious in flight or at rest. In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the drake looks more like the female, but retains the male wing pattern, and is usually greyer above and has less orange on the bill. The female is light brown, with plumage much like a female mallard.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Gadwall

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 10 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is April, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Gadwall

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 108 countries with regular records, and 7 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

United States Canada Sweden United Kingdom Belgium Spain France Germany India Netherlands Portugal Norway Czechia Japan Poland Mexico Switzerland Austria Finland China Taiwan Iceland Denmark Italy South Korea Russia Israel Hungary Ireland Türkiye Mongolia Bulgaria United Arab Emirates Serbia Greece Estonia Romania Nepal Slovakia Lithuania Ukraine Croatia Kazakhstan Slovenia Iran Belarus Morocco Bhutan Bangladesh Kuwait Azerbaijan Georgia Hong Kong SAR China Luxembourg Latvia Armenia Oman Kyrgyzstan Pakistan Isle of Man Bermuda Cyprus Moldova Thailand Myanmar (Burma) Uzbekistan Egypt Honduras Tunisia Philippines Puerto Rico Tajikistan Jordan Bahamas Saudi Arabia Algeria Bosnia & Herzegovina Iraq Qatar Belize North Macedonia Faroe Islands Jersey Cuba Palestinian Territories Albania Singapore St. Pierre & Miquelon Kosovo Curaçao Montenegro Malta Cayman Islands Guernsey Guam Ethiopia Senegal North Korea Northern Mariana Islands Barbados Lebanon Seychelles Afghanistan Vietnam Yemen Grenada Bahrain Syria

Recorded as a rare visitor in Colombia, Guatemala, Kenya, Guadeloupe, Turkmenistan, Cape Verde, Antigua & Barbuda.

About the Gadwall

The gadwall is a common and widespread dabbling duck in the family Anatidae.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

American Wigeon (Mareca americana) American WigeonMareca americanaThe American wigeon is a medium-sized bird; it is larger than a teal but smaller than a pintail. Eurasian Wigeon (Mareca penelope) Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopeThis dabbling duck is 42–52 cm (17–20 in) long with a 71–80 cm (28–31 in) wingspan, and a weight of 500–1,073 g (1–2 lb). Chiloe Wigeon (Mareca sibilatrix) Chiloe WigeonMareca sibilatrixThe Chiloé wigeon has a body length of 46 to 56 cm (18 to 22 in) and a wingspan of 75 to 86 cm (30 to 34 in).

Side by side: American Wigeon vs Gadwall · Eurasian Wigeon vs Gadwall · Chiloe Wigeon vs Gadwall

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