Mallard

(Anas platyrhynchos)

LISTEN (Recordist: Fred Rowley)

General Description: Males have gray bodies, chestnut-brown breasts, white collars, iridescent-green heads, and yellow bills. Females are mottled brown-and-black with lighter brown heads and necks, and yellow bills mottled with black.  Both sexes have orange feet and a blue wing-patch, surrounded by white. Males during non-breeding season and immatures look like the females.

Habitat: Shallow marshes are the preferred habitat, but mallard are also found virtually everywhere there is open water, from city parks to subalpine lakes. They are also often found in sheltered bays and estuaries along the coast.

Behavior: They forage by up-ending in shallow water and by grazing on land. Pairing up occurs in fall and winter, and mating pairs remain intact into spring until the eggs are laid.

Diet: Omnivorous, eating seeds, stems, and roots from a variety of aquatic plants, as well as insect larvae and other aquatic invertebrates.

Range in North America: Found throughout the continent.

When to See in Washington: Found year round in open water throughout the state on virtually any lowland wetland.

For detailed information about Mallards, visit Seattle Audubon’s BirdWeb.