Here’s a complete and detailed overview of the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) — one of the world’s most familiar and widespread wild ducks, often recognized as the ancestor of most domestic duck breeds.

🦆 Mallard / Wild Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Taxonomy

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Aves
• Order: Anseriformes
• Family: Anatidae
• Genus: Anas
• Species: A. platyrhynchos

Common names: Mallard, Wild Duck, Greenhead (male), Stock Duck

General Description

The Mallard is a medium to large dabbling duck and one of the most abundant and recognizable waterfowl species worldwide. Its striking sexual dimorphism (distinct male and female plumage) makes identification easy year-round.

• Length: 50–65 cm
• Wingspan: 81–98 cm
• Weight: 700–1,600 g
• Male (drake):
  • Glossy green head
  • White neck ring
  • Chestnut-brown breast
  • Grey body and black tail curl
  • Yellow bill
• Female (hen):
  • Mottled brown plumage for camouflage
  • Orange bill with black markings
  • Blue wing patch (speculum) bordered by white, shared by both sexes
• Eyes: Dark brown
• Legs: Orange-red

Distribution

The Mallard has one of the widest distributions of any bird species in the world.

• Native range:
  • Europe, Asia, and North America
• Introduced:
  • Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and various oceanic islands
• Breeding range: Across temperate and subarctic zones of the Northern Hemisphere
• Wintering range: Migrates south to southern Europe, North Africa, South Asia, and Central America

Habitat

Mallards are extremely adaptable and occupy a wide range of wetland habitats, including:

• Lakes, rivers, and ponds
• Marshes and flooded meadows
• Estuaries and coastal lagoons
• City parks, ornamental ponds, and agricultural fields

They thrive near human settlements, often coexisting closely with people.

Behavior and Ecology

• Activity: Diurnal, but can feed at night, especially in urban areas.
• Social structure: Often in pairs during breeding, flocks in winter.
• Flight: Strong, fast fliers; capable of speeds up to 88 km/h (55 mph).
• Migration:
  • Northern populations migrate south in winter.
  • Temperate-zone birds often remain resident year-round.

Diet

A true omnivore and dabbling feeder, the Mallard feeds mainly at the water’s surface rather than diving.

• Natural diet:
  • Seeds, aquatic plants, roots, and algae
  • Invertebrates (insects, snails, crustaceans, worms)
  • Small fish and amphibians occasionally
• In urban areas: Readily consumes grain, bread, and other human-provided foods, though this is nutritionally poor.

Reproduction

• Breeding season: March–July (depending on latitude)
• Courtship: Begins in winter; includes displays like head-pumping and synchronized calls.
• Nesting:
  • On the ground near water, in tall grass or reeds
  • Occasionally on rooftops or tree hollows
• Clutch size: 7–13 eggs
• Incubation: 26–30 days, by the female alone
• Ducklings: Precocial — leave the nest within 12–24 hours of hatching and follow the mother to water
• Fledging: 7–8 weeks after hatching

Lifespan

• Wild: Typically 5–10 years, though some individuals exceed 15 years
• Captivity: Up to 20 years

Predators and Threats

• Eggs and ducklings: Crows, magpies, foxes, raccoons, herons, large fish
• Adults: Foxes, eagles, hawks, owls, and humans
• Major threats:
  • Habitat degradation
  • Lead poisoning from spent ammunition
  • Pollution
  • Over-hybridization with domestic ducks

Conservation Status

• IUCN Red List: 🟩 Least Concern
• Population trend: Stable or increasing globally
• Estimated global population: >19 million mature individuals

Mallards are abundant and widespread, and in many areas their numbers are enhanced by urban feeding and mild winters.

Ecological Role

• Seed dispersal: By feeding on aquatic plants and spreading seeds through feces.
• Food web importance: A key prey species for many predators.
• Hybridization: Interbreeds readily with other duck species (e.g., Anas rubripes, Anas diazi), which can threaten rarer relatives genetically.

Identification Summary

Interesting Facts

• The Mallard is the ancestral species of nearly all domestic ducks (except Muscovy).
• Only the female “quacks” — males produce softer rasping sounds.
• In urban environments, Mallards can become semi-tame and breed multiple times per year.
• They have been observed sleeping on one leg with half their brain awake — a behavior called unihemispheric slow-wave sleep.
• Hybridization with domestic ducks can produce colorful or odd-plumaged offspring, often seen in city ponds.

In Europe

• Common across Estonia, Finland, the UK, France, and Central Europe year-round.
• Migratory individuals arrive in southern Europe and North Africa during winter.
• A familiar sight even in urban parks, symbolizing adaptability and coexistence with humans.

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