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Mallard

(Anas platyrhynchos)

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Size             : 18 - 27 inches long (46 - 68 cm)
Description      : Male   - Green irridescent head, white ring around neck, chestnut breast and gray body.
                            Inner wing feathers are irridescent purple-blue, bordered with white.
                   Female - Mottled brown with whitish tail; inner wing area (speculum) is purple blue.
Preferred Habitat: Edges of lakes, ponds, marshes, reservoirs; sometimes grasslands and fields away from water
Preferred food   : Cracked corn, scratch feed, leaves, aquatic vegetation
Breeding Range   : Western North America, east to the Great Lakes and New England, south to northern Virginia
Winter Range     : Resident in the central part of its breeding range. Also, winters south to Central America and 
                   the West Indies.

Interesting Facts: - Ancestor of the common domestic white duck
                   - Readily interbreeds with wild and domestic ducks, creating interesting feather color patterns
                   - Very strong flier
                   - Some have reached remote oceanic islands, where isolated populations evolved, differing from
                     other mallards mainly in the coloring of the males
                   - Voice: Males utter a soft, choppy, reedy sound, while females utter a loud 'quack!'
                   - Nest is a depression in the ground, about 8 inches in diameter: the female begins laying eggs
                     on the ground and builds the nest as she incubates
                   - Nests are usually near water and made of grasses, reeds, and leaves
                   - Nestling period is a day or less, after which time the ducklings are led to water 
                   - The fledgling period lasts 50 - 60 days
		   - Clutch size = 8 - 15
		   - Broods per season = 1