Mallard Ducks
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Mallard Ducks aka Wild Duck (Anas platyrhynchos; Greek for "flat-billed duck") - also known in North America as the Wild Duck - is a common and widespread dabbling duck found in wetland areas, including parks, small ponds and rivers. It is probably the best-known of all ducks.
They are exceptionally fast flyers for their size, reaching speeds of 65 km/h (40 mph).
Mallards frequently interbreed with the American Black Duck, Northern Pintail and domesticated species, leading to various hybrids (for photos scroll down).
A Mallard has been recorded as living for 29 years.
Distribution / Range:
They breed throughout the temperate and sub-tropical areas of North America, Europe and Asia; but also frequent Central America and the Caribbean. They have also been introduced into Australia and New Zealand. It is now the most common duck in New Zealand.
The Mallard is strongly migratory in the northern parts of its breeding range, and winters farther south. It is highly gregarious outside of the breeding season and will form large flocks.
The Mallard is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds applies
Description:
This dabbling duck is 56–65 cm length, with an 81–98 cm wingspan, and weighs 750–1000 g. The size of the Mallard varies clinally, and birds from Greenland, although larger than birds further south, have smaller bills and are stockier. It is sometimes separated as subspecies Greenland Mallard (A. p. conboschas).
The breeding male is unmistakable, with a green head, black rear end and a blue speculum (= distinctive wing patch) edged with white, obvious in flight or at rest. Males also possess a yellow bill with a black tip, whereas females have a dark brown bill.
The female Mallard is light brown, with plumage much like most female dabbling ducks. It can be distinguished from other ducks, by the distinctive speculum (= a well-defined patch of colored, often iridescent feathers on the wings). In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the drake looks more like the female.
Mutations:
In captivity, Mallards come in wild-type Grey patterns as well as Snowy, White, Blonde, Blue Fawn and Pastel. Although most of these colors are rare, there is a steady increase in the number of domestic collections containing these varieties.
Hybrids:
Mallards frequently interbreed with the American Black Duck, Northern Pintail and domesticated species, leading to various hybrids. Joel Webster offered the following insight: "Mallard drakes really are not picky and go after other ducks without courtship."
Calls / Vocalization:
This is a noisy species.
The male has a nasal call, whereas the female has the very familiar "quack" always associated with ducks.
Breeding Behaviour
Mallards form pairs only until the female lays eggs, at which time she is left by the male.
Mallards also have rates of male-male sexual activity that are unusually high for birds. In some cases, as many as 19% of pairs in a Mallard population are male-male homosexual.
When mallards pair off with mating partners, often one or several drakes will end up "left out". This group will sometimes target an isolated female duck — chasing, pestering and pecking at her until she weakens (a phenomenon referred to by researchers as rape flight), at which point each male will take turns copulating with the female. Male Mallards will also occasionally chase other males in the same way. (In one documented case, a male Mallard copulated with another male he was chasing after it had been killed when it flew into a glass window.
Nesting
Mallards usually nest on a river bank, but not always particularly near water. Those living in urban areas may build their nests in very unusual places, including parking lots or rooftops, near swimming pools, in window wells, and even in flowerpots. They use locally available plant material or the hen’s breast feathers.
Hens lay six to 14 creamy to greenish-buff colored eggs. Incubation is done by the hen and lasts 23 to 29 days. The hen leads the ducklings to the water within 24 hours of hatching. The young are fully independent 50 to 60 days after hatching. However, mallards are very family-oriented and stay with their young.
The ducklings are precocial, and can swim and feed themselves on insects as soon as they hatch, although they stay near the female for protection. Also, young ducklings are not naturally waterproof and rely on the mother to provide waterproofing.
Diet / Feeding:
Mallard Ducks are omnivores. They usually feed by dabbling for plant food or grazing. They are often seen with their head under water and their tails sticking up in the air as they are looking for their next meal underwater, which may be plant food, invertebrates, fish or amphibians. They will also graze on land, feeding on grains and small plants.
Feeding Ducks ...
We all enjoy ducks and many of us offer them food to encourage them to come over and stay around - and it works! Who doesn't like an easy meal!
However, the foods that we traditionally feed them at local ponds are utterly unsuitable for them and are likely to cause health problems down the road. Also, there may be local laws against feeding this species of bird - so it's best to check on that rather than facing consequences at a later stage.
- Click here to find out which foods to feed them that will offer the nutrition they need to survive a cold winter and remain healthy
Call / Song:
This is a noisy species. The male has a nasal call, whereas the female has the very familiar "quack" always associated with ducks.
Photo, Video and/or Article contributions are welcome! Please click here for info
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