Gadwall

About the Gadwall

A duck whose beauty rewards a closer look, the drake Gadwall seems plain gray at a distance but up close reveals a gorgeous, intricate pattern of fine vermiculation over the body, a black rear end, and a small white patch in the wing that often shows even at rest. The female is a warm mottled brown, much like a small female Mallard but with that white wing patch and an orange-edged bill.

Gadwall are dabbling ducks, feeding mainly on leafy aquatic plants and often, like wigeon, stealing vegetation from diving birds. They favor quiet, vegetated wetlands and open water alike.

In Texas the Gadwall is a common and widespread winter visitor, gathering on lakes, ponds, marshes, and coastal wetlands across the state from fall into spring.

A note from behind the lens: because their elegance is in the detail, close, clean frames matter. Work low on a calm morning, fill the frame with a drake, and let soft light reveal that finely penciled gray plumage and the flash of white in the wing.