The Mallard Duck
Ranked #169 in Pets & Animals, #5,322 overall | Donates to Squidoo Charity Fund
The Mallard Duck
The green head, yellow bill, and black rump of the Mallard Duck is a familiar sight for many people living in the Northern hemisphere. Nearly 10 million Mallards live in North America with millions more in Eurasia. It is thought to be the most abundant duck in the world today.
Description
The Mallard is a medium size duck measuring 18 to 27 inches in length. During the breeding season the male has a green head, white neck ring, chestnut colored breast, and a gray body. The inner feathers on the wing are a metallic bluish-purple bordered with white. Its bill is yellow with a black tip. The female is a mottled brown with a white tail. Like the male, the feathers on its inner wing are a bluish-purple. The female has a mottled orange and brown bill rather than the distinctive yellow.
During the non-breeding season, the male's plumage is similar to the females, but it maintains its distinctive yellow bill and chestnut colored breast.
Mallards are known as puddle or dabbling ducks, which means they search for food on or near the water's surface. They dabble by tipping up with their head under water, and their tail wagging in the wind.
Like most puddle ducks, the Mallard can spring into the air without having to run across the water's surface to build up speed.
Range and Habitat
The Mallard Duck's summer range covers a wide territory. It stretches from Alaska and Quebec, south to northern Mexico and Texas. The Mallard will spend its winters in the warmer climes of the United States, Central America, and the West Indies.
They inhabit most wetlands. They will settle along lakes, ponds, river bends, marshes, estuaries, and even ditches. It is not uncommon to see a family of Mallards, swimming in the lakes and ponds in city parks and playgrounds. If the water is fairly calm, the Mallards will find it.
From Courtship to Parenthood
The Mallard Duck's courtship starts in the fall. The Males grunt and whistle, swim, pump their heads, and preen in front of the females. The females spur the males on with loud calls and suggestive body movements. The rituals usually occur on the water, but chase flights are not uncommon. By midwinter the pairs have formed. The mated pair migrate together returning to the female's place of origin.
The nest is usually built on the ground within a hundred yards of water. The depression is lined with soft reeds and grasses. The nest is usually concealed in tall grass or reeds. Once the female lays her eggs, the male abandons her.
The female Mallard's clutch usually has 8 to 13 eggs. They are incubated for 27 to 28 days. The ducklings are precocial, which means they can swim and feed themselves right after hatching. They stay close to their mother for protection until they fledge at 50 to 60 days.
The Annual Molt
After the Mallard drakes abandon their mates to the job of raising the young, they fly to a secluded area and undergo their annual molt. The molting of their wing feathers leaves them temporarily flightless. They are no longer displaying their courtship plumage, but a drab "eclipse" plumage is similar to that of a female. It provides better camouflage against predators while their wing feathers grow back. The entire process takes 2 to 3 weeks. The hens go through a similar molt once their ducklings have fledged.
After breeding season, the Mallard Duck is quite gregarious. They will form large flocks which are known as a sord.
Diet

Mallard Ducks are omnivores. They are often seen with their head under water and their tails sticking up in the air as they dabble for their next meal. That meal may be comprised of plant food, invertebrates, fish, or amphibians. They will also graze on land, feeding on grains and small plants.
Flight
Mallards fly in small groups or in V shaped flocks. The flock is usually comprised of 10 to 20 members, but the flock can swell to over a hundred. They are swift fliers and excellent swimmers.
Voice
The Mallard Ducks are a noisy species. The hen's call is the quack-quack often associated with ducks. The drake's call is a reedy quack and during mating season will pierce the air with sharp single and double-noted whistles.
Listen to the call of the Mallard Duck: Sound Byte: Mallard Duck, National Park Service
Taking Pictures
Canon Rebel XS 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black)
Amazon Price: $459.00 (as of 02/15/2012)![]()
I have used a simple point and shoot camera for years. They're great for taking pictures at family gatherings and picnics, but when it came to photographing wildlife, I was always disappointed with the results. I couldn't get a close-up without compromising the quality of the picture. I started researching cameras and came up with the Canon Rebel. It's a step above the POINT and SHOOT but not so complicated that it ends up setting on the shelf.
Lifespan

The lifespan of the Mallard Duck is 7 to 9 years, but over half die before they reach 2 years of age. They die from predation, accidents, hunting and diseases such as botulism, cholera and viruses.
Waterfowl: An Identification Guide
Waterfowl: An Identification Guide to the Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World
Amazon Price: $284.94 (as of 02/15/2012)![]()
An Amazon Review
Waterfowl: An Identification Guide to the Ducks, Geese and Swans of the World" is a wonderful guide for waterfowl identification, with beautiful colored plates of all 155 species of ducks, geese, and swans. A really nice book for everyone who likes wild waterfowl. The only thing I miss are the screamers which are also a part of the anseriformes (waterfowl).
Some of my Favorite Aquatic Birds

DucksNorthern Pintail
Wood Duck
Mallard
Geese
Canada Goose

Swans
Mute Swan
Tundra Swan
Trumpeter Swan
Have you seen any interesting birds lately?
-
Reply
-
davespeed
Jan 31, 2012 @ 7:43 pm | delete
- I enjoyed the video Mallard Ducks in my Swimming Pool. The ducklings trying to jump were so cute. Don't know if you ever watched the HBO mobster series The Sorpanos, but they had an episode where a group of ducks took up residence in Tony Soprano's pool, leading him to much introspection. Enjoyed your lens. All the best.
-
-
Reply
-
TopCoffeeLover
Jan 15, 2012 @ 6:15 pm | delete
- there is a sea bird I see from time to time... very tall white, slim and statuesque. I wish I knew the name. Beautiful lens btw... cheers!
-
-
Reply
-
kimark421
Jan 3, 2012 @ 6:35 pm | delete
- Great lens. I love ducks and enjoyed the read and the pics. Thanks!
-
-
Reply
-
cffutah
Dec 10, 2011 @ 5:11 am | delete
- I've always loved ducks so reading about the mallard was fun for me too, thank you indeed for this tribute to them.
-
-
Reply
-
freepsptheme
Nov 15, 2011 @ 7:17 pm | delete
- :) Good info. Great lens!
-
- Load More
About the Author
Ducks and Geese
Bird Watcher's Digest
Bird Watchers Digest
Amazon Price: $16.99 (as of 02/15/2012)![]()
Keep current with what's happening in the birding world. Bird Watcher's Digest offers great articles and pictures, as well as information on conservation efforts and research. I receive several birding magazines each month but its Bird Watcher's Digest that has me dropping everything to sit down and read.
6 issues/12 months
Resources used to construct this page.
Peterson, T.P. & Peterson, V.M. 2002. Birds of Eastern and Central North America, Fifth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, N.Y.
Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology
Seattle Audubon Society
Pennsylvania Game Commission
by ElizabethJeanAllen
I tell my students to Learn from the Past, Live in the Present, and Plan for the Future. With Squidoo I can do all three. more »
- 255 featured lenses
- Winner of 17 trophies!
- Top lens » The Mallard Duck
- This lens »
Won purple star













