# Oddball Gadwall



## jkern (Aug 10, 2005)

Not sure what quite to think about a purple headed Gadwall.

Could just be a color mutation but Im pretty sure his blood isnt 100% pure.


----------



## shooteminthelips (Jun 13, 2007)

That is just what they look like when they are getting close to colored out. Nice bird congrats..


----------



## jkern (Aug 10, 2005)

shooteminthelips said:


> That is just what they look like when they are getting close to colored out. Nice bird congrats..


You 100% sure about that? I dont know how many Gads I have held in my hands but I KNOW I have never seen one with head colorations like this.

He was no bigger than a hen, this pic is a side by side between him and a normal gaddy drake...just dont show off the irridecent colors as much. The other gad was a fully colored almost spring looking drake.


----------



## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

Looks like an almost colored drake gad to me.

They get quite a bit of purple irridescence on their head, the spring birds its real evident.


----------



## shooteminthelips (Jun 13, 2007)

I am a 100% sure on that.. We see fully collored out ones come through in the spring when we are snow goose hunting...The ones you have been shooting have been immatures.. I will post some pics up this spring of some nice colored out ones for ya!


----------



## Rick Acker (Sep 26, 2002)

That is not a common feathered out Gadwal...Most spring Gadwals DO NOT develope the purple/green patch on the head...As you can see by my picture of a fully plummed out Spring Gadwal...I've heard that some drake Gadwals develope this color phase, it's certainly not common!

You have a nice trophy there...Hope you are getting it mounted!


----------



## jhegg (May 29, 2004)

Perhaps it's a Brewer's Duck, which is a cross between a mallard and a gadwall. See the followinmg link:

http://www.audubon.org/bird/BoA/F39_G4c.html

Jim


----------



## Rick Acker (Sep 26, 2002)

Nope, Brewers ducks have a different speculum on the wing...I've seen several close up...Just a rare color phase of a Gadwal.


----------



## goosebusters (Jan 12, 2006)

Aleutian Gadwall? :lol:


----------



## Man of all Seasons (Sep 14, 2008)

i'd mount that, nice bird there


----------



## crewhunting (Mar 29, 2007)

nice bird


----------



## rednek (Dec 29, 2006)

> goosebusters Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 10:41 pm Post subject:
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Aleutian Gadwall?


 :lol: :lol:


----------



## jwdinius1 (Dec 14, 2006)

Maybe we should ask blhunter if thats a real gadwell, he seems to know his waterfowl species very well!


----------



## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Just because I can prove that those geese are not aluetions, doesn't mean I know everything about waterfowl. :roll: :roll:


----------



## jwdinius1 (Dec 14, 2006)

I must of missed the part where you "proved" it wasn't an aluetian.


----------



## Matt Jones (Mar 6, 2002)

Rick, where did you get that picture? Is that a captive bird?

Nice bird, congrats jkern. :beer:


----------



## Gunny (Aug 18, 2005)

Super jelous...


----------



## King Eider (Mar 9, 2005)

I have seen pictures of Gadwalls that look like that bird but not many. I shot one that could be its twin brother this weekend in central Iowa which is going on the wall. My guess is plumeage variance with in the species. Or from the "Brewers Ducks" I have seen, the purple might suggest it has Mallard blood somewhere in its not too distant gene pool


----------



## jkern (Aug 10, 2005)

I was up in the air whether to get it mounted or not. Was fully ready to breast the bird out when my son grabs it and says, "Dad are you serious?" :lol:

I got a Mallard/Pintail cross last year and I tink I am gonna have the 2 done together. :beer:


----------

