gadwall Anas strepera, a wild duck which often associates with the mallard but is smaller and more slender. Although rare in the British Isles, it has a wide distribution across Europe, Asia, and N. America and exists in large numbers in many regions. Its breeding range is further south than those of other surface-feeding ducks, and some specimens have even reached tropical areas. Its diet consists mainly of vegetable matter and its flesh is described as delicious at any time of the year.
© the Estate of Alan Davidson 1999, 2006, 2014 © in the Editor’s contribution to the second and third editions, Oxford University Press 2006, 2014.
