Mallard
Least ConcernAnas platyrhynchos
Visual Identification
Mallard
Appearance
The Mallard is a medium-sized duck with a distinctive appearance. Males have a glossy green head, narrow white collar, chestnut-brown chest, and grayish body. Their wings feature a blue speculum bordered by white.
Females are mottled brown with an orange-brown bill, often with dark markings. Both sexes have orange legs and feet. During the late summer molt, males resemble females but retain their yellow bill.
Juvenile Mallards look very similar to adult females, although they do not have the deep blue wing panel. Very young birds have dark bills, but they soon develop the characteristic yellow or orange bills of the adults.
Size
Length
50cm to 65cm
Wingspan
81cm to 98cm
Weight
720g to 1.58kg
Habitat and Distribution
Habitats
Woodland
Garden
Wetland
Coastal
Urban
Farmland
Grassland
Desert
Tundra
Rainforest
Mountain
Savanna
Distribution
Mallards are found across many wetland habitats, including freshwater ponds, lakes, rivers, and marshes. They also thrive in human-modified environments like city parks, agricultural areas, and suburban retention ponds.
This species has a vast distribution across North America, Europe, and Asia. It is a year-round resident in much of its range, including the UK, USA, and southern Canada, with northern populations migrating south for winter.
Elevation Range
Sea level to 1,000 meters
Climate zones
Temperate, Subtropical, Subarctic
Distribution Map
Distribution by Region
Behaviour and Ecology
Bird Attributes
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Diet
Mallards have a varied diet, primarily consisting of plant matter such as seeds, stems, and leaves of aquatic vegetation. They also consume insects, worms, snails, and small fish.
In urban areas, they often supplement their diet with bread and other food provided by humans, though this is not recommended.
Mallards find their food on dry land, the water's surface, and below by tipping their bodies and reaching down to the bottom.
Behaviour
Mallards are highly adaptable and social ducks, often seen in large flocks. They are dabbling ducks, tipping forward in the water to feed on submerged vegetation.
On land, they waddle with a characteristic head-bobbing motion. Mallards are known for their ability to take off almost vertically from water.
Vocalisation
The Mallard's vocalizations are distinct and varied. Females produce the familiar loud, repetitive 'decrescendo' 'quack-quack-quack' call, consisting of two to ten rising and then falling quacking notes. This call can be heard over long distances.
Males have a softer, raspy call, often described as a low 'reeb-reeb' sound. During courtship, males also make a high-pitched whistle.
Nesting & Breeding
Mallards typically form pairs in the fall and winter months. The breeding season begins in spring, with timing varying by location. Males perform elaborate courtship displays, including head-bobbing and whistling calls.
Females construct nests on the ground near water, often concealed in vegetation. The nest is a shallow depression lined with grass and down. A typical clutch consists of 8-13 pale greenish or bluish-white eggs.
Incubation lasts about 28 days, performed solely by the female. Ducklings are precocial, leaving the nest within 24 hours of hatching. They can fly at 50-60 days old.
Lifespan
years
The Mallard typically lives for 5 to 10 years.
Like all birds, lifespan can be affected by factors including predation, habitat quality, disease, and access to food sources.
Conservation and Status
Global Conservation Status
While Mallards are not currently of conservation concern due to their large population and wide distribution, they face threats from habitat loss and degradation.
Wetland conservation efforts benefit Mallards and many other waterfowl species. Hunting is regulated to maintain sustainable populations.
Birdwatching Tips
- Look for Mallards in any wetland habitat, including urban parks and ponds
- Listen for the female's loud quack and the male's softer, raspy call
- Observe their dabbling behavior, with tails up and heads submerged
- In the UK and US, Mallards are common year-round in most areas
Additional Information
Quick Facts
Other names:
Wild Duck
Family:
AnatidaePredators
Mallards face predation from various animals, including foxes, raccoons, large fish, snapping turtles, birds of prey (such as hawks and owls), and in some areas, alligators.
Did You Know?
- Mallards can sleep with one eye open, allowing half their brain to remain alert for potential dangers.
- They are the ancestors of most domestic duck breeds, except for the Muscovy duck.
- Mallards can fly at speeds up to 55 miles per hour (88 km/h).
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FAQs
Is a Mallard a female?
Mallards include both males and females of a single duck species. Male Mallards are known as drakes, while females are called ducks or hens.
What's the difference between a duck and a Mallard duck?
All Mallards are ducks, but not all ducks are Mallards. Riddles aside, the Mallard is just one of over a hundred different duck species. Breeding males are easily identified by their bright yellow bills and green heads, although females are similar to other dabbling ducks.
When do male Mallards get their colors?
Male Mallards develop their colorful breeding plumage when they are a few months old. Adult drakes will lose these fancy feathers by June each summer after they have mated, and regrow them by September in time to attract a female before the next breeding season.
Do all male Mallard ducks have green heads?
Male Mallards do not have green heads between July and August each year. They look similar to females at this time, but birdwatchers can still identify them by their bright yellow bills.
References
- 1
website: BirdLife International. 2019. Anas platyrhynchos (amended version of 2017 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T22680186A155457360.
View source - 2 3
report, 2015: Wetlands International