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.
The water feels so good!
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.
The Newest Generation
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.
Mallards
Mallard Duck
Columbian Park Duck
Hubbert's Hills
Mallard
Mallard
Mallard
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.
Stay together!
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.
Shorebirds of North America, Europe, and Asia
Shorebirds of North America, Europe, and Asia: A Guide to Field Identification (Princeton Field Guides)
Shorebirds of North America, Europe, and Asia is divided into two sections for easy use. The first section shows the shorebirds in standard poses and the second shows them in flight. I prefer this field guide to the others because shorebirds rarely stay still long enough to identify them. With flight illustrations I have a better chance at identifying them.
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
It's a Beautiful Day to Fly!
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
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. Selecting a Pair of Bird Watching Binoculars
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Selecting a Pair of Bird Watching Binoculars
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When I look out my window and watch the birds flutter around the birdfeeder, I really don't need a pair of binoculars or a scope to enjoy the sight. I frequently stop by the window and watch the birds for a minute or two between household tasks. (Occ...
Waterfowl: An Identification Guide
Waterfowl: An Identification Guide to the Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World
Amazon Price: (as of 11/23/2009)
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?
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Reply
- skiesgreen skiesgreen Nov 19, 2009 @ 3:10 pm
- Great topic. We had a mallard on our farm that was Donald. A dog bit him in the back and I gave him mouth to mouth resuscitation, to no avail. This is still a talking point in the family. It was no easy feat to give mouth to mouth to a duck. Just picture it but we loved him too much to say goodbye. . 5* and fave
Norma
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Reply
- JennySui JennySui Nov 17, 2009 @ 7:42 am
- You have made wonderful lenses about birds. This lens is also very good. pictures are amazing.
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Reply
- JennySui JennySui Nov 17, 2009 @ 7:42 am
- You have made wonderful lenses about birds. This lens is also very good. pictures are amazing.
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Reply
- maestro1637 maestro1637 Oct 26, 2009 @ 8:38 pm
- It's a beautiful day to fly (pic) Very cool!
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Reply
- mermaidlife mermaidlife Oct 25, 2009 @ 1:08 pm
- I've heard that ducks are very spiritual creatures because they walk-the-line (paddle, swim, what-have-you, between the water and the sky. Thank you for an interesting read about mallard ducks.
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About the Author
Lensmaster ElizabethJeanAllen has been a member since March 16 2008, has rated 3,943 lenses, favorited 445, and has created 195 lenses from scratch. Lizzy Jean donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund. This member's top-ranked page is "The Mallard Duck". See all my lenses
Why Birds Do That
Why Birds Do That: 40 Distinctive Bird Behaviors Explained & Photographed
Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 11/23/2009)
Birds are fascinating. Their behavior is complex, often comical. Some sing while others do not. Why Birds Do That explains forty distinctive bird behaviors and is enhanced with numerous photographs. It is a must have book for both the backyard bird watcher as well as the avid birder.
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
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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.
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