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Gadwall
Scientific Name - Anas strepera
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.
Diet:
Almost Exclusively: Plant Matter
Lesser Quantities of: Aquatic Invertebrates
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