Gadwall

The gadwall is a common, widespread dabbling duck 47–58 cm long with a wingspan of 78–85 cm. 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 eclipse plumage the drake looks more like the female but keeps the male wing pattern, and is greyer above with less orange on the bill. Males weigh about 990 g and females about 850 g (Wikipedia, general species account).

It breeds in northern Europe and across the Palearctic, and in central North America, and it is also seen in parts of South Asia, particularly southern India, in winter. The female's call is like a female mallard's quack but higher pitched. It nests on the ground, often some distance from water, laying seven to twelve eggs. SoIB 2023 rates it a Moderate conservation priority: a winter migrant of wetlands with a Large range, an inconclusive long-term trend of about −27% and a current decline of about 3% a year (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).