The mallard or wild duck is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. It has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Falkland Islands, and South Africa. Belonging to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae, mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are social animals preferring to congregate in groups or flocks of varying sizes.
Region
Holarctic (Northern Hemisphere)
Typical Environment
Mallards occupy a vast range of wetlands including lakes, ponds, slow-flowing rivers, marshes, estuaries, coastal lagoons, and flooded fields. They readily use man-made habitats such as reservoirs, city parks, and agricultural landscapes. Breeding typically occurs near shallow waters with emergent vegetation for cover. In winter, they concentrate on ice-free waters and sheltered wetlands. They tolerate both fresh and brackish environments and often exploit human-provided food sources in urban settings.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 3000 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 3/5
The mallard is the ancestor of most domestic duck breeds and readily hybridizes with feral domestic ducks, which can affect the genetics of wild populations. Males (drakes) display a glossy green head in breeding season and shift to a duller eclipse plumage after breeding. Highly adaptable, mallards thrive in urban parks as well as natural wetlands and are a familiar sight across much of the Northern Hemisphere.
Adult drake mallard
An American black duck (upper left) and a male mallard (lower right) in eclipse plumage
![Mallards are among the most common bird species to exhibit aberrant colouration, typically due to the influence of escaped domesticated ducks, more rarely to genetic mutations.[43] The female pictured here is leucistic; leucism in birds often results in 'cream-coloured', 'apricot'[44] or muted feathers on certain parts of the body.[45]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Female_Mallard_with_faded_plumage_at_Bray_Lock%2C_May_2015.JPG/1280px-Female_Mallard_with_faded_plumage_at_Bray_Lock%2C_May_2015.JPG)
Mallards are among the most common bird species to exhibit aberrant colouration, typically due to the influence of escaped domesticated ducks, more rarely to genetic mutations.[43] The female pictured here is leucistic; leucism in birds often results in 'cream-coloured', 'apricot'[44] or muted feathers on certain parts of the body.[45]
![Drake mallard performing the grunt-whistle[74]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/Drake_mallard_Anas_platyrhynchos_performing_the_grunt-whistle_2.jpg/640px-Drake_mallard_Anas_platyrhynchos_performing_the_grunt-whistle_2.jpg)
Drake mallard performing the grunt-whistle[74]
Duckling
Swimming duckling
A male mute swan (Cygnus olor) driving off a female mallard.
The last male Mariana mallard
An American Pekin duck, a breed of domestic duck derived from the mallard
George Hetzel, mallard still life painting, 1883–1884
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
strong flier with rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Mallards often gather in loose flocks outside the breeding season and readily mix with other waterfowl. Pairs form in late autumn and winter; nesting is usually on the ground near water, concealed by vegetation, and the female incubates and cares for the brood. They adapt well to human presence and frequently forage in groups in urban areas.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Females give the classic loud series of quacks, often descending in pitch. Males are quieter, producing soft rasps, grunts, and whistles, especially during courtship. Vocal activity increases at dawn and dusk around feeding sites.
Plumage
Males in breeding plumage have a glossy green head, white neck ring, chestnut-brown breast, grey body, and black rump with curled tail feathers; females are mottled brown with a streaked pattern. Both sexes show a blue to purple iridescent speculum bordered by white on the wings. Post-breeding males enter a brownish eclipse plumage resembling females but retain the yellowish bill.
Diet
Mallards are dabbling ducks that feed by tipping up and filtering water through lamellae along the bill. They consume aquatic plants, seeds, grains, and algae, along with insects, snails, crustaceans, and occasionally small fish or amphibians. In agricultural and urban settings they readily take spilled grain, acorns, and handouts from people.
Preferred Environment
They forage mainly in shallow water along marsh edges, flooded fields, and pond margins. They also graze on land in grassy areas and agricultural fields and will scavenge in city parks and waterfronts.
