Gadwall Call MP3s
Understated compared to flashier ducks but a favorite among experienced hunters, the Gadwall responds well to calling and decoys across its wide Northern Hemisphere range. These recordings reflect its quieter, raspier voice.
Also known as
Recordings (4)
About this species
The Gadwall (Mareca strepera) is a duck of the Anatidae family of around 50 cm — subtly handsome in finely vermiculated grey plumage with a black stern and white wing speculum. It keeps to quiet, well-vegetated lakes and slow rivers, often among other ducks.
The drake gives a deep, nasal croak and short whistle, the female a Mallard-like quack. It feeds mainly on leaves, stems and seeds of water plants. A classic dabbling duck, it up-ends in the shallows and walks readily on land. Across the Mediterranean flyway it is most numerous from autumn through winter, when migrants from the north flood the wetlands of Greece and the Balkans.
Legal use
The Gadwall is a legal game species across the United States and Canada (regulated under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act framework, with state seasons and bag limits), throughout most of the EU and UK (Birds Directive Annex II), and in parts of its Asian wintering range. Population trends have been strongly positive for decades in North America, and the species carries a Least Concern conservation status with no notable current restrictions beyond standard general duck seasons and limits in most range countries, though like other ducks its numbers fluctuate somewhat year to year with wetland conditions. Requirements still vary by jurisdiction, so confirm current local season dates, licensing and bag limits before hunting; see our full country-by-country disclaimer for details.