Gadwall Anas strepera
STANFORD LOCATIONS: Uncommon to fairly common winter visitor at Lagunita, usually seen foraging in shallows at the edge of the lake. Birds lingering into spring may occasionally nest here, although breeding has not yet been recorded. Note: Unlike the crown feathers shown here, they are typically flat.

Nest Location	Nest Type	Eggs Mating System	Dev. Parental Care	Primary & 2ndary Diet	Foraging Strategy
			F I: 24-27 DAYS PRECOCIAL 2
	F	8-11 (5-13) MONOG	F: 48-56+ DAYS F	INSECTS AQUATIC INVERTS	SURFACE DIVES

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BREEDING:	Freshwater (and rarely brackish) marshes, brushy, grassy areas away from water; on lake islands. 1 brood.
DISPLAYS:	In courtship, male raises black posterior out of water and shows speculum while bobbing head. See: Duck_Displays.
NEST:	Usu concealed in dense grass, tall reeds, or under brush; made of nearby veg. Building continues during laying. Lined with finer materials; down added during incubation.
EGGS:	White. 2.2" (55 mm).
DIET:	Grass, aquatic plants, nuts, grain; aquatic invertebrates, small vertebrates. Dives for food more than most dabblers. In winter, mostly aquatic veg, algae.
CONSERVATION:	Winters s to s Mexico. Range expanding e.
NOTES:	Nesting success often higher than other dabblers. Strong female nest site tenacity. Nest parasitism by other Gadwalls and by scaup, not uncommon. Breeding season later than most other ducks. Gadwalls feed farther from shore than do other dabblers.
ESSAYS:	Dabblers vs. Divers; Piracy; Parasitized Ducks; Site Tenacity.
REFERENCES:	Bellrose, 1976; Gooders and Boyer, 1986; Hepp, 1985; Hines and Mitchell, 1983, 1984.

Help	Abbreviations	Species-Alphabetical	Species-Taxonomic	Essays-Alphabetical	Essays-Categorized
Except for Stanford Locations, the material in this species treatment is taken, with permission, from The Birder's Handbook (Paul Ehrlich, David Dobkin, & Darryl Wheye, Simon & Schuster, NY. 1988).