THE GADWALL. 



(Anas strepera.) 



The Gadwall, Gray Duck, or Creek 

 Duck, has a very extensive range, includ- 

 ing the temperate zones of both the east- 

 ern and western hemispheres. It inhabits 

 the British Isles and breeds in Norfolk 

 County, England. In Holland it is abund- 

 ant, and in the fall is one of the most 

 common ducks to be found in the market. 



In North America the Gadwall is con- 

 fined chiefly to the interior and Florida 

 and Georgia are the only states on the 

 Atlantic coast in which it occurs in any 

 numbers. Along the Pacific coast they 

 are common residents of California. 

 Many of these ducks pass the winter 

 about the Gulf of Mexico, in Central 

 America and in the West Indies. It is 

 quite common throughout Illinois, is 

 rarer in Indiana, and in the upper and 

 lower peninsulas of Michigan it is 

 found in considerable numbers. It is like- 

 ly to be found breeding anywhere within 

 its range. 



The general appearance and habits of 

 the Gadwall are quite similar to those of 

 the mallard, teal and widgeon. The lat- 

 ter name (widgeon) is indiscriminately 

 applied to three species : the Gadwall, the 

 baldpate or American widgeon, and the 

 European widgeon. All three varieties 

 inhabit both the old and the new worlds. 

 The females and immature birds of the 

 three species are often confused with 

 each other. This is especially true of the 

 baldpate and European widgeon. 



The adult male Gadwall measures 

 about twenty inches long. The head and 

 upper neck are whitish, thickly streaked 

 and speckled with brown and black. The 

 lower neck and breast are black, with the 

 feathers irregularly tipped and streaked 

 with white, producing a scaley effect, 

 which becomes less pronounced on the 

 shoulders and sides, where the markings 



become wavy, are finer and more numer- 

 ous. The back is gray and the feathers 

 are margined with rufous brown. The 

 belly is white, or faintly shaded with 

 gray, the tail is black. The wing coverts 

 are chestnut and black, with the specu- 

 lum white. The feet are orange yello\y; 

 the eyes are reddish brown and the bill 

 is bluish black; the tail is short and 

 pointed. 



In the female the black and white are 

 less pronounced and are replaced by 

 various shades of brown. She rnay also 

 be distinguished by her smaller size, and 

 the scarcity of chestnut on the wing cov- 

 erts. 



The dress of the Gadwall appears very 

 sober when compared with our other 

 ducks, the majority of which are noted 

 for their beautiful plumage. For this 

 reason it is much less frequently observed 

 than are others of the duck tribe. _ As 

 it is often a common duck in localities 

 where its presence is unknown, little has 

 been written regarding the nidification of 

 the Gadwall, principally for lack of ob- 

 servation. 



The Gadwall is found in company with 

 other waterfowl during its migrations, at 

 which time it inhabits the flooded prairie 

 regions of the northwest in large num- 

 bers. 



Its food consists of both animal and 

 vegetable matter, which is obtained from 

 the surface of shallow lagoons and ponds. 

 While feeding, the body is often partly 

 submerged, as the birds probe about 

 under the water. It seems to feed 

 throughout the day. 



Authorities differ regarding the note 

 of the Gadwall, but in my experience I 

 have found them rather silent, occasion- 

 ally uttering a few shrill "quacks" similar 

 in tone to that of the mallard. 



Gerard Alan Abbott. 



107 



