Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Photos by BarrytheBirder

 The Mallard is the largest and most familiar dabbling duck of the North American hemisphere.   It is the ancestor of many domestic ducks, very common and widespread in the wild.   There are an estimated 10 million breeding Mallards in the wild.

They breed from Alaska, Ontario, Quebec, and central New England south to southern California, Arizona, Texas, central Illinois, and coastal Virginia.  They winter from southern British Columbia, the Dakotas, southern Great Lakes region, and New England.

Preening male

Like other dabbling ducks, Mallards spring directly into the air from fresh water, and they often seen flying in pairs or trios, as well as in large flocks.   

Female

The usual call of the female is quack, quack, quack, quack, diminishing in both volume and speed, while the males calls are softer and reedier.

Seldom diving, Mallards feed by tipping tail-up to reach aquatic plants, seeds, and snails...

Mallard drakes are frequently called 'greenheads' due to their iridescent green heads.

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BarrytheBirder