Mallard
Mallard Information
Length: 20 - 28"
Habitat:
Breeding habitat: Edges of lakes, rivers, ponds, streams; marshes, wooded swamps, sloughs, flooded fields, reservoirs. Requires habitat with shallow water for feeding.
Winter habitat: Lakes and rivers with some
open water; sometimes, coastal marshes and bays.
Diet: Seeds of grasses and sedges; seeds, roots, and stems of other aquatic vegetation; acorns, waste grains, crustaceans, mollusks, small fish, frogs, tadpoles, insects.
Songs and displays of the Mallard
Photo: Male and Female Mallard with DucklingsAdditional Information
MallardDescription, distribution, behavior, diet, reproduction, predators, lifespan, and conservation status. Includes photos and range map. (From Wikipedia)
Mallard Drake Launching Into Flight
Credit: Erwin and Peggy Bauer/USFWS
Mallard
Identification Tips
- Large dabbling duck
- Blue speculum with white bar along both leading and trailing edges
- Silvery-white wing linings
- Juvenile similar to adult female
- Alternate plumage worn from fall through early summer
- Gray back
- Yellow bill
- Green head
- White ring around neck
- Chestnut breast
- Gray flanks and upperwing coverts
- Black undertail coverts contrast with white tail
(Credit: U. S. Geological Survey)
Breeding Bird Survey Map,
2011-2015
(Image credit: USGS)
Winter Map from eBird
Sightings of the Mallard Nov-Mar over last 10 years
Christmas Bird Count Map
Historical CBC Map from USGS