Mareca strepera
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
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 the genus Mareca. There are two subspecies:
Mareca strepera strepera (formerly Anas strepera strepera), the common gadwall, described by Linnaeus, is the nominate 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 is patterned grey, with a black rear end, light chestnut wings, and a brilliant white speculum, obvious in flight or at rest. In non... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Rotterdam [The Hague] | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 4 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 7 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Amsterdam | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 9 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 10 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parque y Zoológico Nacional Arquitecto Manuel Valverde Podestá | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | |
| 2 | Yerevan Zoo | 🇦🇲 Armenia | |
| 3 | Saint Louis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Berlin Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Oregon Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Inokashira Park Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 7 | L'Oceanogràfic | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Zoo Koki (Parque zoológico y botánico) | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | Aquarium Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Zooparque Itatiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Gadwall sighting in Elk Island National Park on a given day, based on 443 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 19th most-seen of the 161 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and October
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Gadwall in Elk Island National Park on a given day, against about 10% in January to March, the lowest months. Those are among Elk Island National Park's wettest months, with about 70 mm of rain a month against 20 mm in December.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gadwall sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 53 parks where we can rate Gadwall sightings, Elk Island National Park ranks 3rd at about 50%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Keoladeo National Park (India, about 50%) and Hortobágy National Park (Hungary, about 50%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gadwall is recorded against all the birds logged in Elk Island National Park (443 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
