| Gadwall (Anas strepera (Linnaeus, 1758)) |
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Scientific name: Anas strepera (Linnaeus, 1758) Common name: Gadwall French name: Canard chipeau Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Size: Body size: 46 to 56 cm; Weight: 650 to 900 g; Wingspan: 84 to 95 cm. Males are slightly larger than females. Habitat: Fresh water lakes or ponds, marshes, water meadows, slow running rivers, with preference for places with dense vegetation. Food: The Gadwall is mainly vegetarian. It often turns upside down, the head under water, to feed on under water plants. It also feeds on insects and molluscs during the breeding season. Nesting: The nest is built on the ground, under the vegetation next to water. It is lined with leaves and down. Females lay between 8 and 11 eggs in April-May. Migration: Partially migratory. Some birds, in particular those of central Asia, move to southern Europe or to North Africa during winter. Geographic area: Europe, Asia, North America. |
The Gadwall has dark grey bill, a dull grey plumage with a white belly. The rump is black. The wings show a white speculum bordered with black and brown. The female is similar to the Common Mallard's female. That's to say brown mottled with black. You can tell it apart with its white belly and the yellow-coloured lateral sides of the bill. |
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I have only seen one male. Is it a single bird or did the female, maybe shyer, hide during my approach? |
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This Gadwall has not been very shy, like most of the other birds observed during my very short stay in the northern parts of the Netherlands. The fact that there is no hunting over there may be the key factor. |
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Here is one picture, in the far, of a small flock of Gadwalls. I have kept this picture because you can see one female. |
André Bon June 2012
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