Gadwalls Are Beautiful!

Here there are two male and two female Gadwall ducks visible. The males are in their breeding plumage of brown, grey and black and look very different from their female counterparts who are mottled brown to help camouflage them from predators.

In this image, you can see the fine mottling on the male’s breast and the brown cap he wears with his black beak. These patterns are hard to see at a distance but they are very striking seen close up.

Here you can see Gadwalls leaping into the air from the surface of the water. Notice the white underwing patches and the white specula on the trailing edges of the wings. Males and females show these characters. The Gadwalls belong to the species Anas strepera in the family Anatidae. They spend the winter throughout Texas and migrate north about May.

This image shows a male Gadwall landing. They position their wings and tail to slow their forward motion and land upon their extended feet which act like water-skis for a short distance while they settle to the surface of the water. Notice the white feathers on the margin of the black tail, another characteristic of this species. Also, males and females have yellow feet

Sometimes, Gadwalls are just in the right place to make a beautiful image.