Mallard Duck

mallardbg: MallardCOMMON NAME: Mallard Duck

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Anas platyrhynchos

DESCRIPTION:

The most common and readily recognized duck, the male mallard has shiny green feathers on his head and neck.

LIFE HISTORY:

The female lays on average 8 eggs in a loosely built nest on the ground. Laid all on one a day, the female alone incubates the eggs. Average incubation time is 28 days. The female turns each one every day.
The precocial ducklings are able follow the female into the water within hours after hatching.

ECOLOGY:

Niche: Mallards are dabbling ducks. They can be seen with "bottoms up" feeding on algae, plants, and insects. Ducklings provide food for numerous predators including large fish. Ducks are eaten by bobcats, coyotes, and various other mammals.

Habitat: Mallards are very common. They will become non-migratory if food and shelter are available year round.

ADOPT THIS ANIMAL

The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds by John K Terres. ISBN# 0-517-03288-0.
National Geographic Society Field Guide to the Birds of North America, second edition. ISBN# 0-87044-692-4.


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