Gadwall 39 
Tresz 82, p. 245; Beckham 85, p. 144; W. G. Smith 87, p. 169; 
Morrison 88, p. 140; 89, p. 148; Kellogg 90, p. 86; Cooke 97, pp. 18, 
53, 156, 194; 06, p. 27; Henderson 03, p. 234; 09, p. 225; Rockwell 
08, p. 157; Warren 09, p. 13. 
Description.—Male—General colour including the head, which bears 
a& low crest, neck, upper-back, scapulars and sides brown, speckled 
and undulated with greyish-white ; lower back plain brown, becoming 
black on the rump and upper tail-coverts; belly white with sharply 
defined velvety black on the abdomen and lower tail-coverts; wing 
with a patch of chestnut, velvety black, and white ; iris reddish-brown, 
bill black, legs dull orange. Length 20-0; wing 11-0; tail 3-5; culmen 
1-75; tarsus 1-7. 
The female is smaller—wing 10:0, and brown throvghout except 
on the lower breast and abdomen, which are white and everywhere 
speckled or variegated with buffy-brown; the patches of chestnut, 
black and white on the wing are rather smaller. The young male 
is like the female. 
Distribution.— One of the most widely spread of Ducks, found through- 
out Europe, Asia and North America, and wintering south in Africa 
and southern Asia. In America its breeding range extends from 
Hudson, Bay and southern British Columbia, south to southern Colorado 
and most of California. In winter it resorts chiefly to the southern 
states and the lower Mississippi Valley, and to Mexico as far as 
Mexico City. 
In Colorado the Gadwall is a fairly common summer resident and 
quite common on, migration, but has been, noticed only, so far as I can 
ascertain, at Barr in, winter. It arrives from the south early and has 
been noted at Fort Lyon on March Ist and at Loveland from March 
Ist to 12th ; it is not so common apparently on the western slope and 
was only once seen by Sullivan—on the Gunnison River, March 28th 
(Rockwell), while at Coventry it has been seen in April (Warren). 
Breeding records are—Bazrr Lake (Hersey & Rockwell), Estes Park 
(Kellogg), Middle Park, Carter (Cooke), South Park (Tresz), San Luis 
Lakes (Aiken & Henshaw), La Plata co. (Morrison), and Calhan 
El Paso co. June (Aiken). 
Habits.—The Gadwall resembles the Mallard in habits ; 
it is essentially a fresh-water Duck, preferring secluded 
marshy ponds and reedy streams to large open pieces 
of water. It feeds largely on vegetable matter, water- 
weeds, grass, roots and often grain, as well as on insects, 
tadpoles, etc., and it is as well- flavoured as the 
Mallard. 
