Mallard

Description: The mallard is one of the most popular species of ducks and is related to a number of domesticated duck species. It has a large range of habitat which has led to a number of distinct populations of birds.

Male: Male mallards have a neck ring that is white separating their green head from their reddish-brown chest. They have gray sides, an dark back that is usually brown, and a black tail. The speculum on the wings is purple or blue and has black and white feathers on the wings. The bill of the male is yellow while the legs and feet are yellow, orange, or red.

Female: Female mallards is speckled brown in color and has a lighter purple or blue speculum on the wings, which have black and white feathers on the wings like the male. The top of the head is dark brown and has a dark brown stripe that goes between the eyes. The rest of the head is lighter brown. The bill is orange with brown spots and the legs and feet are usually orange, though they can resemble the male’s in terms of color.

Breeding: Mallards breed all over parts of North America, making them such a popular duck species. They usually breed in northern states in the US all the way up to the Alaskan coast. The most mallards can be found living in the prairie states and provinces of the US and Canada. Nests are usually built on the ground, in swamps and bogs and other wetland areas, but they can also be found in nest boxes. The female will usually lay about 9 eggs.

Migrating and Wintering: Mallard ducks will migrate using a number of flyways with the highest percentages crossing Manitoba and Saskatchewan down through the midwestern states, moving through the Mississippi Flyway. Mallards spend much of their winter in the US with the highest numbers spending winters along the Mississippi River in states like Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Mallards are usually one of the later ducks to migrate and they also can be found migrating anywhere from late summer months, through the fall, and into early winter. They can be found inhabiting a multitude, everything from farmers fields, swamps, marshes, hardwood wetlands, ponds, lakes, and river sloughs.

Population: Mallards are the most common duck species in the US and the highest population numbers are found living east of the Appalachian Mountains and west of the Rockies. Mallards have seen incredible population growth due to grassland and wetland conservation efforts in the prairie states.

Food habits: Mallards eat seeds, nuts, vegetation, and aquatic crustaceans and invertebrates that live in the areas they inhabit.

Popularity: 3%