25-397: The gadwall ( Mareca strepera ) is a common and widespread dabbling duck in the family Anatidae . The gadwall was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae . DNA studies have shown that it is a sister species with the falcated duck ; the two are closely related to the three species of wigeons , and all of them have been assigned to
50-409: A mep call during a display known as the burp , where he raises his head pointing his bill towards a female. The grunt-whistle is similar to that of mallards, where the male rears his outstretched head with the bill dipped into water, displacing a stream of water droplets towards a nearby female as the bill is raised against the chest. During this display the male makes a loud whistle call followed by
75-410: A tribe Anatini within these. The classification as presented here more appropriately reflects the remaining uncertainty about the interrelationships of the major lineages of Anatidae (waterfowl). The dabbling duck group, of worldwide distribution, was delimited in a 1986 study to include eight genera and some 50–60 living species. However, Salvadori's teal is almost certainly closely related to
100-400: A low burp . Paired males may follow other females in flight displays. During nesting season, the female lays a clutch of 7-12 eggs with each of them measuring 4.9–6 cm (1.9–2.4 in) in length and 3.4–4.4 cm (1.3–1.7 in) in width. Incubation lasts for 24-27 days and the nestlings leave after around 1-2 days. A gadwall can only raise one brood a season Currently, the gadwall
125-589: A small breeding population has recently become established, centred on County Wexford in the south and Lough Neagh in the north. The Gadwall is also seen in some parts of South Asia , particularly the southern part of India . The gadwall is a bird of open wetlands, such as prairie or steppe lakes, wet grassland or marshes with dense fringing vegetation, and usually feeds by dabbling for plant food with head submerged. They can also dive underwater for food, more proficiently than other dabbling ducks, and may also steal food from diving birds such as coots. It nests on
150-557: A subcategory of the " Lower Risk " category and assigned the code "LR/lc" or lc. Around 20% of least concern taxa (3261 of 15,636) in the IUCN database still use the code "LR/lc", which indicates they have not been re-evaluated since 2000. While "least concern" is not considered a red listed category by the IUCN, the 2006 IUCN Red List still assigns the category to 15,636 taxa. The number of animal species listed in this category totals 14,033 (which includes several undescribed species such as
175-634: Is listed as least concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . The gadwall is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds ( AEWA ) applies. Populations have increased approximately 2.5% over the course of 49 years (from 1966 to 2010), and continue to grow. Gadwalls are one of the most hunted duck species (3rd to the mallard and green-winged teal ), with 1.7 million shot each year. Because of
200-413: Is patterned grey, with a black rear end, light chestnut wings, and a brilliant white speculum , obvious in flight or at rest. In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the drake looks more like the female, but retains the male wing pattern, and is usually greyer above and has less orange on the bill. The female is light brown, with plumage much like a female mallard . It can be distinguished from that species by
225-594: Is strongly migratory , and winters farther south than its breeding range, from coastal Alaska , south into Central America , and east into Idaho , Kansas , Ohio , Virginia , and then south all the way into Central America. In Great Britain , the gadwall is a scarce-breeding bird and winter visitor, though its population has increased in recent years. It is likely that its expansion was partly through introduction, mainly to England, and partly through colonization by continental birds staying to breed in Scotland . In Ireland
250-571: The Baikal teal , should also be considered distinct. The following genera are (with one exception) unequivocal dabbling ducks : The three known genera and four known species of moa-nalos all became extinct around AD 1000. They formerly occurred on the Hawaiian Islands and were derived from dabbling ducks, possibly even from a close ancestor of the mallard : Subfossil remains of a small, flightless dabbling duck have been recovered on Rota in
275-683: The Hawaiian archipelago . Another bizarre insular anatine was Bambolinetta from the Late Miocene of Tuscana , then part of the Tuscano-Sardinian insular landmass. Flightless or at least a poor flyer, it instead shows adaptations for wing-propelled diving, occupying a similar ecological niche to that of penguins and plotopterids . Frequently placed into the Anatinae are these genera, whose relationships must be considered uncertain at present: On
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#1732876057211300-498: The Mariana Islands . These cannot be assigned to a known genus, but probably are closest to Anas . A most bizarre duck-like bird, Talpanas lippa has been found on the Hawaiian island of Kauai . Because of its unique apomorphies (it seems to have had small eyes high and far back on its head), the placement of this anatid is likewise unresolved; only dabbling ducks and true geese are with certainty known to have colonized
325-501: The diving ducks , mtDNA cytochrome b and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 sequence data indicates that they are fairly distant from the dabbling ducks. The morphological similarities are due to convergent evolution . In addition, the genus Anas , as traditionally defined, is not monophyletic ; several South American species belong to a distinct clade which would include the Tachyeres steamer-ducks. Other species, such as
350-595: The pink-eared duck , and other genera are likewise of unresolved affiliation. The peculiar marbled duck , formerly tentatively assigned to the dabbling ducks, is thought to be a diving duck or even a distinct subfamily. This group of ducks has been so named because its members feed mainly on vegetable matter by upending on the water surface, or grazing, and only rarely diving. These are mostly gregarious ducks of freshwater or estuaries. These birds are strong fliers and northern species are highly migratory . Compared to other types of duck, their legs are located more towards
375-467: The shelducks , the perching ducks , and the dabbling and diving ducks ; the latter two were presumed to make up the Anatinae. However, the perching ducks turned out to be a paraphyletic assemblage of various tropical waterfowl that happened to evolve the ability to perch well in their forested habitat . Several of these, such as the Brazilian teal , were subsequently assigned to the Anatinae. As for
400-399: The "Least Concern" category unless they have had their population status evaluated. That is, adequate information is needed to make a direct, or indirect, assessment of its risk of extinction based on its distribution or population status. Since 2001 the category has had the abbreviation "LC", following the IUCN 2001 Categories & Criteria (version 3.1). Before 2001 "least concern" was
425-422: The Anatinae are the extinct moa-nalo , a young but highly apomorphic lineage derived from the dabbling ducks. There has been much debate about the systematical status and which ducks belong to the Anatinae. Some taxonomic authorities only include the dabbling ducks and their close relatives, the extinct moa-nalos. Alternatively, the Anatinae are considered to include most " ducks ", and the dabbling ducks form
450-416: The centre of their bodies. They walk well on land, and some species feed terrestrially. "Puddle ducks" generally feed on the surface of the water or feed on very shallow bottoms. They are not equipped to dive down several feet like their diving counterparts. The most prominent difference between puddle ducks and divers is the size of the feet. A puddle duck's feet are generally smaller because they do not need
475-418: The dark orange-edged bill, smaller size, the white speculum , and white belly. Both sexes go through two moults annually, following a juvenile moult. The gadwall is a quieter duck, except during its courtship display . Females give a call similar to the quack of a female mallard but higher-pitched, transcribed as gag-ag-ag-ag . Males give a grunt, transcribed as mep , and a whistle. The gadwall breeds in
500-512: The efforts of the United States and Canadian groups Ducks Unlimited , Delta Waterfowl Foundation and other private conservation groups, the species continues to be sustainably hunted there. Dabbling duck See text The Anatinae are a subfamily of the family Anatidae ( swans , geese and ducks ). Its surviving members are the dabbling ducks , which feed mainly at the surface rather than by diving . The other members of
525-423: The extra propulsion to dive for their forage. Another distinguishing characteristic of puddle ducks when compared with diving ducks is the way in which they take flight when spooked or are on the move. Puddle ducks spring straight up from the water, but diving ducks need to gain momentum to take off, so they must run across the water a short distance to gain flight. Traditionally, most ducks were assigned to either
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#1732876057211550-441: The genus Mareca . There are two subspecies: The specific name strepera is Late Latin for "noisy". The etymology of the word gadwall is not known, but the name has been in use since 1666. The gadwall is 47–58 cm (19–23 in) long with a 78–85 cm (31–33 in) wingspan. The male is slightly larger than the female, weighing on average 990 g (35 oz) against her 850 g (30 oz). The breeding male
575-503: The ground, often some distance from water. It is not as gregarious as some dabbling ducks outside the breeding season and tends to form only small flocks. Gadwalls are monogamous and may start breeding after their first year. Pair formation begins during fall migration or on breeding grounds, but has also been reported to occur in August when males are still in eclipse plumage. Gadwalls are generally quiet, except during courtship. The male utters
600-649: The northern areas of Europe and across the Palearctic , and central North America. In North America, its breeding range lies along the Saint Lawrence River , through the Great Lakes , Alberta , Saskatchewan , the Dakotas , south to Kansas , west to California , and along coastal Pacific Canada and southern coastal Alaska . The range of this bird appears to be expanding into eastern North America. This dabbling duck
625-642: The other hand, the following genera, usually considered to belong into the Tadorninae, may actually be dabbling ducks: Least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. They do not qualify as threatened , near threatened , or (before 2001) conservation dependent . Species cannot be assigned
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