Ducks & Geese

Gadwall

Schnatterente

Mareca strepera

Ducks & Geese1 photoFirst seen: 15 July 2026

The Gadwall is a medium-sized dabbling duck with understated brown and grey plumage. Males are finely patterned grey with a black rear, while females resemble female Mallards but have a thinner bill. A white wing patch is the most useful feature in flight. The species feeds mainly on aquatic plants in shallow, vegetated wetlands. It also takes food brought to the surface by coots and diving ducks.

ID tip: On female-type birds the bill decides it: a dark grey culmen with cleanly, straight-edged orange sides. A female Mallard's bill is mostly orange with an irregular dark saddle, and her face is striped with a dark eye-line and pale supercilium. The Gadwall's face is plain and finely peppered, with a steeper forehead.

First seen: 15 July 2026 · Yesler Swamp · 1 photo in the collection.

Places in my records

Locations where this species is supported by a dated first record, an unambiguous single-place outing or a reviewed assignment.

Yesler Swamp15 July 2026

Family: Ducks & Geese (Anatidae)
Length: 46–56 cm
Wingspan: 78–90 cm
Regional status: Year-round resident (Pacific Northwest, USA)
Conservation: Least Concern LCIUCN Red List · retrieved 27 August 2026
Habitat: Shallow freshwater marshes, lake margins and ponds with dense emergent vegetation
Diet: Leaves, stems and seeds of aquatic plants; invertebrates while breeding

Built from verified occurrence records, not drawn by hand. Core range = the countries holding 99% of all records; the rest are scattered or vagrant records. Record counts track where people watch birds as much as where the birds are, so the map shows presence, not abundance. Data: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). Basemap: Natural Earth.

Gadwall

Places in my records

Selected photographs