Waterfowl Identification

Gadwall

Identification Tips:
Length: 14.5 inches Wingspan: 35 inches
Large dabbling duck with steep forehead
White speculum
Juvenile similar to adult female

Adult male alternate:
Alternate plumage worn from fall through early summer
Black bill
Brown head
Gray body
Gray and brown breast, back and upperwing coverts
Black rump, uppertail coverts and undertail coverts
White belly
Adult male basic
Similar to adult female
Adult female:
Gray bill with orange edges
Mottled gray, brown and white body plumage
Distinct white belly patch

Similar species: Adult male in alternate plumage is unmistakable. All plumages easily identified in flight and occasionally at rest by white speculum. Females and immature at rest can be identified by their steeper head profile than similarly-plumaged Mallards, by the gray bill with orange edges, and by the distinct white belly patch.

Gadwalls are most numerous in the Central Flyway, but not too common anywhere. They are often called "gray mallards" or "gray ducks." They are one of the earliest migrants, seldom facing cold weather. They are the only puddle ducks with a white speculum.

Small, compact flocks fly swiftly, usually in a direct line. Wingbeats are rapid. Drakes whistle and kack-kack; hens quack like a mallard, but softer.