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  • Mallard

Mallard

Mallard (male)
Mallard (male)
Mallard (female)
Mallard (female)
  • Scientific name: Anas platyrhynchos
  • Bird family: Ducks, geese and swans
  • UK conservation status: Amber
  • Protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Mallard call audio

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Matthias Feuersenger, Xeno-canto

Key information

The mallard is a large and heavy looking duck. It has a long body, and a long and broad bill. The male has a dark green head, a yellow bill, is mainly purple-brown on the breast and grey on the body. The female is mainly brown with an orange bill.

Mallards breed in all parts of the UK in summer and winter, wherever there are suitable wetland habitats, although it is scarcer in upland areas. In the UK, mallards may be resident breeders or migrants - many of the birds that breed in Iceland and northern Europe spend the winter here.

What they eat:

Seeds, acorns and berries, plants, insects and shellfish.

Measurements:

Length:
51- 62 cm
Wingspan:
81-98 cm
Weight:
750-1500 g

Population:

UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually. UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. UK passage is the number of individuals passing through on migration in spring and/or autumn.
UK breeding:
61,000-146,000 pairs
UK wintering:
710,000 birds

Identifying features:

This bird species has different identifying features depending on sex/age/season.

Mallard (male)

Mallard male
Feather colour: Black Blue Brown Cream/buff Green Grey White
Leg colour: Orange
Beak: Black Blue Yellow Long Duck-like Chunky
Natural habitats: Farmland Grassland Marine and intertidal Urban and suburban Wetland

Mallard (female)

Mallard female
Feather colour: Black Blue Brown Cream/buff Grey White
Leg colour: Brown Orange
Beak: Black Brown Orange Long Duck-like Chunky
Natural habitats: Farmland Grassland Marine and intertidal Urban and suburban Wetland

Similar birds:

Gadwall male
Gadwall
Male pintail
Pintail
Male teal
Teal

Where and when to see them

The mallard is the commonest duck and most widespread, so you have a chance of seeing it just about anywhere where there is suitable wetland habitat, even in urban areas.

* This map is intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.
  • Resident
  • Passage
  • Summer
  • Winter
Mallard distribution map

You can see mallards all year round.

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RSPB reserves

  • RSPB Ribble Discovery Centre

In more depth

Attracting and deterring ducks

Attracting and deterring ducks

Breeding

Breeding

Ducklings hatching

Ducklings hatching

Legal status

Legal status

Mallard duck population

Mallard duck population

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Mallard ducklings

Find out more about mallards and their ducklings.
Shoveler, Brownsea Island Dorset Wildlife Trust reserve, Dorset, England

What is eclipse plumage?

After breeding, ducks moult (replace the old, worn-out feathers with new ones).

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