Gadwall

Last updated on November 17th, 2024 at 05:23 pm

The gadwall is a dull-coloured dabbling duck. The male is grey with a black rump and white belly. It has a white wing speculum edged with black and rufous that can be seen both in flight and at rest. The bill is grey. Female is difficult to distinguish from the female of the mallard.
The gadwall is monogamous. It can be observed in pairs or in small groups not exceeding generally twenty individuals. The gadwall is a partial migrant. It is also a diving duck, barely smaller and more slender than the mallard.

Gadwall
Scientific name : Mareca strepera
Family : Anatidae
Length: from 46 cm to 58 cm – Wingspan: from 84 cm to 95 cm
Weight : from 550 gr to 900 gr
IUCN Conservation Status: LC

Flight

The Gadwall has a fast, direct flight, with rapid wingbeats, although faster than those of the Mallard.

Habitat

The gadwall mainly frequents open wetlands, such as marshes, shallow freshwater ponds and lakes, lowland grasslands, slow-moving waters with abundant vegetation and grassy islands providing cover for the nest.

Regime – Diet

The gadwall is primarily herbivorous. It feeds on pieces of aquatic plants by wading and dipping its head in the water, but also on aquatic invertebrates and seeds.

Nesting

The breeding season begins in April/May and thus continues until July. The female chooses the nesting site. While she searches for a suitable place for nesting or collects materials, the male in the meantime watches over her and protects her from other males.
Only one annual brood is planned, but in the event of loss or destruction of the brood, the females are able to lay a second replacement clutch.
The female builds the nest by scratching a depression in the ground. Grass leaves and various twigs line the nest. Then, she pulls downy feathers from her own body and adds them on top of the plant materials. The nest is thus well hidden in the vegetation, often in the middle of tall grass. The female lays 8 to 12 creamy-white eggs at a rate of one egg per day. She then incubates the eggs alone for 24 to 26 days. The chicks are precocial, the female takes them to the water where they are already able to feed themselves. They frequent in particular fairly open bodies of water. The young are feathered and take their first flight after 48 to 59 days after birth.

Protection

Decline of breeding birds in France. Bird classified as being in poor conservation status for breeding birds in the European Union, but hunting is still permitted in France. Listed in Annex II/1 of the Birds Directive, Annex II of the Bonn Convention, Annex III of the Bern Convention and listed in category B1 (north-west Europe population) and B2c (north-east Europe/Black Sea/Mediterranean population) of AEWA.

Cry

The Gadwall is relatively silent outside the breeding season. However, during courtship, the male produces a short “check” and a low whistle. He also makes deep, loud “raahk rrahk” croaks, as well as harsh cries and grunts. The female quacks and makes repeated “gag-ag-ag-ag-ag-ag.”