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Mallard


Mallard, courtesy of Jack Bucknall

Without a doubt the most abundant duck in the world, the wild mallard is as common to our local parks as the children's swings and summer ice-cream van.

Nearly every British child is acquainted with the mallard, even if they know it by the generic term 'duck', and familiarity has perhaps led us to under-appreciate this attractive, adaptable and above all resilient bird.

The mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) has been domesticated for more than 2,000 years and is now so widespread in the UK that you will be hard pressed to find a lake or village pond that does not support a mallard population. The resilient ducks can make their home in any wetland habitat, including drainage dykes or fast-flowing rivers. This is largely due to the mallard's uncanny ability to adapt to almost any diet. Plants, berries, insects, shellfish, even potatoes are all fair game for this bird.

In the midsummer months that follow the breeding season, you may find yourself wondering where all of the colourful drakes (male mallards) have gone. A quirk peculiar to ducks means that they moult all of their flight feathers at the same time, leaving them grounded and exceedingly vulnerable to predators. Evolution has guaranteed some protection by ensuring the drake's bright feathers are replaced by dowdier brown ones - which gives them a distinctly female appearance!

Facts

Appearance: Drakes boast a shiny bottle-green head ringed by a white collar at the neck. They have a yellow bill, a purple-brown breast and grey sides. The female is primarily brown in colour with an orange bill

Size: length between 51-62cm, wingspan between 81-98cm

Weight: 750-1500g

Diet: Mallards will eat almost anything from berries and acorns to worms, snails and frogs. They are 'dabblers', which means they eat food found close to the water's surface, although they may occasionally 'upend' to reach tasty morsels lurking a little lower down

Family: Anatidae

Did you know?

  • All modern domesticated ducks (with the exception of the muscovy) are descended from the wild mallard
  • Before the spring breeding season, drakes conduct a drawn-out courtship ritual which begins in the autumn and continues all through the winter. Once paired, mallards are generally monogamous but some drakes are known to pursue other single females once their own mating ritual is over
  • Some British mallards fly south for the colder months, but ducks from Scandinavia and Russia enjoy wintering in the comparatively warm climes of the UK