GADWALL

(Anas strepera), small, drably coloured duck of the family Anatidae, a popular game bird. Almost circumpolar in distribution in the Northern Hemisphere, the gadwall breeds above latitude 40 and winters between 2040. In North America the densest breeding populations occur in the Dakotas and the prairie provinces of Canada; the coast of Louisiana is a primary wintering area. These brownish gray birds have white patches, visible only during flight, on the rear of the wings. Breeding males are gray with a brown head and neck and black posteriors; the females are a uniform mottled brown. Their preferred diet consists of stems and leaves of aquatic plants, supplemented by seeds and algae. Gadwalls frequent shallow freshwater ponds and marshes, often in mixed flocks with wigeons. Unlike wigeons, however, they rarely feed on land. The nest is hidden in thicker vegetation than is usual for species of the dabbling duck (q.v.) group.