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Gadwall
Anas strepera
50.8173, 4.64371
Field Notes
Description:
The Gadwall male is slightly larger than the female. 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. It can be distinguished from that species by the dark orange-edged bill, smaller size, the white speculum, and white belly. Both sexes go through two moults annually, following a juvenile moult.
Habitat:
The Gadwall breeds in the northern areas of Europe and Asia, and central North America.
The Gadwall is a bird of open wetlands, such as prairie or steppe lakes, wet grassland or marshes with dense fringing vegetation, and usually feeds by dabbling for plant food with head submerged.
Notes:
First four pics are from a young male and last is a couple.
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