![]() ![]() Much of the region between California and parts of New England are home to Mallards during the year. Feral Mallard populations may live in some areas permanently, but wild Mallards are typically migratory throughout North America. Mallards migrate towards the beginning of spring, and their autumn migration takes quite a while. They breed in most parts of Canada and Alaska in the north and then head south during the winter. It is a wild duck species that many people can recognize on sight and the ancestor of most species of domestic duck. The Mallard is present in large numbers all over the northern hemisphere. Most of them live in swamps and lakes in the Lower Mississippi Valley during the winter. ![]() They’re ubiquitous on prairie potholes in the summer and in the somewhat-open area north of the prairies. You won’t see them often on the coasts, but they do winter on sheltered bays and estuaries. They may be present in any aquatic habitat, but they especially like freshwater throughout the year. You can also find them in prairie potholes and ephemeral wetlands, bays, and you’ll see them hunting for food in roadside ditches, pastures, and agricultural fields. Mallards live in all types of wetlands, including bogs, marshes, river floodplains, ponds, lakes, city parks, farms, estuaries, and reservoirs. The Mallard mostly lives in wetland habitats like marshes, lakes, swamps, rivers, streams, and ponds. Feed them birdseed, lettuce, peas, or corn instead. If a duck eats too much bread, it can get angel wing, a twisting of its bones when it grows, which causes problems with flying. It fills the duck up, which keeps it from finding healthier foods. Don’t give them bread, though, as it can be very harmful to ducks. If they’re in a park, they’ll eat whatever snacks people want to share. When they migrate, they eat mostly seed and grain. In the breeding season, their meals are composed mainly of water insect larvae, snails, freshwater shrimp, and earthworms. They forage around the shore and find prey and plants to eat. Instead, they tip forward to consume seeds and water plants. Occasionally, the Mallard will eat insects, crustaceans, and mollusks. These birds are very tame makes very easy to domesticate them.Ī major chunk of their diet comprises of aquatic plants and their sedges.Upon completion of the mating season, Mallards located in colder areas are usually seen migrating in flocks to their wintering grounds.Mallards are dabbling ducks this means that they feed in water by leaning forward and nibbling on underwater plants.Being a dabbling duck, its body is quite long and its tail peeks out of the surface of the water. Mallards are typically large ducks with rounded heads, wide and flat bills, and plump bodies. They have a black strip running from the bill, past the eye, and down the side of the head. Females are mostly brown- and grey-speckled. Males and females feature brilliant blue patches on their wings with white stripes at the top and bottom. The chest is brown, and the bill is yellow. He also has a black tail-curl and white ring on his neck. The male has a shiny green head, and his sides and wings are grey. Mallards are one of the most common and ducks in North America, and they are also present in Eurasia. Go to a park to feed ducks, and you’ll likely find a Mallard or two right in the middle of the frenzy of ducks quacking and waddling their way toward you. However, both sexes are adorned with blue speculum patch bordered with white on their wing. They have a brown plumage with brown and orange bills. It has a brown chest, whitish-gray undersides, brown wings, and a yellow bill.įemales and young Mallards, on the other hand, have a duller complexion. Male Mallards have a green head and neck with a white ring at the bottom of its neck.
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