Appearance

Appearance

It is about 19 in (48 cm) long. The male has a large, square-looking head and long sickle-shaped tertial feathers; the female is mottled brown with a black bill.

Look-alikes

GadwallMareca strepera

A breeding male Falcated Duck has a glossy green-and-chestnut head and long curved tertial feathers, unlike the finely patterned gray male Gadwall (Mareca strepera). Females are harder: a female Falcated Duck has an all-black bill, while a female Gadwall usually shows orange along the bill and a white wing patch that is clearest in flight.

Why they get mixed up · They are close relatives of similar size, and both females are mottled brown.

Where it lives

Typical habitats

• freshwater lakes and ponds
• rivers and marshes
• wet meadows

Range

It breeds from eastern Siberia and Mongolia to northern Japan and winters farther south in Asia. In the United States, a wild bird is most plausible in western Alaska.

Seasonal presence

It is a migratory visitor, not a regular U.S. resident.

Behavior

Diet

In its native range it tips forward or grazes for leaves, seeds, and other plant food, and it also takes small aquatic invertebrates.

Social life

Outside the breeding season it may gather in flocks with other ducks.

Life cycle

Breeding season

In its Asian breeding range, eggs are generally laid in late May.

Nest

The female hides a ground nest in tall grass or brush near water.

Clutch size

Usually 6–10 eggs.

Conservation

IUCN Red List

LCLeast Concern·Low risk of extinction