Anas platyrhynchos

Description

The male mallard has a green head with a white ring around the neck, a brown breast, and a pale body. The female mallard is brown with a white throat and an orange bill with a dark spot in the center.

Voice

Female mallards give the familiar "quack" sound. Male mallards give a low "kwek."

Breeding

October to May

Habitat

These ducks like all shallow water from marshes to rivers.

Diet

Mallards eat seeds they find in the water.

Range

You can find these ducks in Canada and Alaska during the summer and in the southern United States during the winter. They live year-round in the northern United States and along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

Other Useful Information

There are many domestic color variations of the mallard, such as the all-white duck you see at city parks.

Similar Species

The American black duck is very similar to the female mallard, but the black duck is darker and does not have a black spot on its bill. The mallard and the American black duck are so similar, they can hybridize (produce young with characteristics of both species).