Gadwall

Anas strepera

The Gadwall favors shallow ponds and marshy areas. They range across most of North America. Breeding mostly in the Great Plains, they are permanent residents in several western states. Some spend winters well into Mexico. These birds are not limited to the Americas, but breed in the midlatitudes of Europe and Asia and wintering in southern Asia, and northern Africa.

The male Gadwall may not be as “showy” as some other ducks, but their appearance is clean and economical. Population increases have resulted from the past quarter century’s attention to restoring wetlands and nesting habitat.