Life-List Series #11: GADW
Common Name: Gadwall
Scientific Name: Mareca strepera
Description: A brown and tan duck with iconic black and white specula on the wings
Motto: So plain, it's memorable
Conservation: Least Concern, increasing
Range: Breeds across the northern Holarctic, and spends the nonbreeding season in the southernmost part of the Northern Hemisphere; only dips below the equator in Africa and Asia
Habitat: Freshwater and brackish wetlands, usually crowded with vegetation, and often near prairie, parkland, and river deltas, with some existence in forested wetlands in the northern part of their range
Diet: Herbivorous, focusing on aquatic vegetation and seeds, including wigeon grass, milfoil, duckweed, and algae, with occasional aquatic invertebrates during breeding season
Breeding: Annually monogamous, single-brooding, late-season breeders with ground nests containing 7 to 12 eggs with female parental care
Sound: TICKETY-TICKETY-TICKETY-hngeee-hngeeee-hngeee
Ornithologist's Notes: This is a great example of a duck that LOVES to hybridize, mostly with Mallards (Ana platyrhynchos), which we will obviously get to. Pretty sure the first time I saw a Gadwall, there was a Mallard hybrid right next to it. But a particularly interesting fact about these guys is that they've actually benefitted from humankind's impact on the environment and climate change. Eutrophication has created massive increases in plant life, including that of non-native species, and Gadwalls are amongst the ducks that have benefitted from that. So, yeah, I guess these guys are, like, the Republican climate-denier's mascot in that way. Feel free to draw a Gadwall with a MAGA hat on, gesturing towards snow and noting that "IT CAN'T BE GLOBAL WARMING, I'M STILL COLD" or some nonsense.
Life-List Notes: I feel like it's weird that I always get filled with joy whenever I see a Gadwall in the wild, since it honestly is a weirdly plain-looking duck, but...nah, I love 'em! With an oddly iconic white speculum (or wing patch) bordered in black, sticking out of its plain appearance, Gadwalls just make me smile, honestly! First time I saw them was in upstate central New York, in the Finger Lakes, and I was absolutely delighted by them as a teenager. Now, as an adult, I wish I could see one right now. Maybe I'll take a trip to the coast, give it a shot one of these days during migration.
Also, hello! I finally came back after so long with more bird art! A number of people have still liked and reblogged my little art project in the months since the Wigeon, and even today, I saw that @todaysbird reblogged that last post, so I figured I should finally post this one. So, yeah, thanks again for that, I appreciate it! Stay tuned for the next one, which is, in direct contrast with this duck, a VERY unusual looking duck indeed. Least ways, for the USA. And, it's another one of my favorite ducks.
