Gadwalls are dabbling ducks, which means their legs are located roughly in the center of their bodies and they feed mostly on the surface of shallow water. They are also a very sociable duck. Gadwalls usually fly and feed with other species like mallards, wigeon, and pintails. They are also the most strictly vegetarian of all the puddle ducks, with plant material accounting for all but about two percent of what they eat. They’re especially fond of leafy greens, which are never particularly abundant in the northern part of their summer range and tend to wither with the first frost. So, their early departure for the mild latitudes may be as much an effort to find a good meal as warm weather.
*Text sources provided by Michael McIntosh, Wild Fowl of North America, published by Brown & Bigelow Inc. St. Paul Minnesota.
Species Identification compiled by George Austin McCurry