 Breeding evidence |
 Relative abundance |
 Probability of observation |
Click for a larger version or to add map overlays |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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2.41 (1.38 - 3.52)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Results coming soon
Note: During all years of the Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlas drought conditions persisted and the Atlas range maps for all waterfowl, waterbirds, and wetland-associated species should be viewed as characteristic of distribution and abundance during dry conditions. Read the full drought statement here.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
The Gadwall is widespread and common on many wetland types, including brackish ponds, throughout Saskatchewan's prairie and parkland regions. Males have more subtle plumage coloration than drakes of most other duck species. Gadwalls breed in North America from southern Alaska and the Maritimes south to southern California and North Carolina. They winter on inland ponds, and especially in coastal areas from southern Alaska and southern Ontario south to southern Mexico and the Caribbean (AOU 1998).
Gadwall breeding pairs can be found on most types of wetlands south of the boreal shield in Saskatchewan but are most abundant in the prairies and parklands. They often use saline wetlands for feeding. Females nest in relatively thick herbaceous and shrub cover. Islands, especially those with heavy cover, hold the highest breeding densities. At Kazan Lake, Randall (1984) found all but 1 of 38 nests on islands.
Gadwalls are common summer residents in the grassland and parkland regions, common in the Cumberland Marshes, but uncommon and local in the rest of the boreal forest (Smith 1996). The Gadwall population has grown remarkably over the past 3 decades in traditional survey areas for reasons that remain mysterious. .
Original text by Robert G. Clark. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Gadwall in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Gadwall in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=GADW&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]
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