Mallard

Anas platyrhynchos

Description 2

The mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, the Falkland Islands, and South Africa. This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae.

The mallard is a medium-sized waterfowl species that is often slightly heavier than most other dabbling ducks. It is 50–65 cm (20–26 in) long – of which the body makes up around two-thirds – has a wingspan of 81–98 cm (32–39 in), and weighs 0.72–1.58 kg (1.6–3.5 lb). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 25.7 to 30.6 cm (10.1 to 12.0 in), the bill is 4.4 to 6.1 cm (1.7 to 2.4 in), and the tarsus is 4.1 to 4.8 cm (1.6 to 1.9 in).

The breeding male mallard is unmistakable, with a glossy bottle-green head and a white collar that demarcates the head from the purple-tinged brown breast, grey-brown wings, and a pale grey belly. The rear of the male is black, with white-bordered dark tail feathers. The bill of the male is a yellowish-orange tipped with black, with that of the female generally darker and ranging from black to mottled orange and brown. The female mallard is predominantly mottled, with each individual feather showing sharp contrast from buff to very dark brown, a coloration shared by most female dabbling ducks, and has buff cheeks, eyebrow, throat, and neck, with a darker crown and eye-stripe

Where to find in Okanagan-Similkameen 3

The ubiquitous Mallard is a common spring breeding bird and year-round resident of this region. They can be found dabbling on almost any open body of water from small ponds to large lakes (near shore), and on streams, creeks, and rivers. They also tend to forage in city parks, schools, and sports fields where there are manicured lawns.

Useful Links 3

BC Breeding Bird Atlas
eBird sighting map

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Darren Kirby, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Darren Kirby
  2. Adapted by Darren Kirby from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anas_platyrhynchos
  3. (c) Darren Kirby, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

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