 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
Length: 20 - 26 inches.
Wingspan: 30 - 40 inches.
Lifespan: 13 - 15 years.
Range: 
This native duck can be found in our area year-round.
Summer Range: The Mallard breeds from Alaska to Nova Scotia southward to Mexico, northern Texas, Tennessee, and northern Georgia. In addition, it breeds in Greenland and across Eurasia. It has been introduced into Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii.
Winter Range: The Mallard winters from southern Canada southward to the Gulf Coast, northern Florida, and into northern Mexico.
Habitat: Freshwater shallows, tidal marshes.
Food: Mallards forage for food by dabbling and also by filter-feeding at the surface of the water. They tip-up in shallow water and make occasional dives in deeper water. The type of foods they eat vary from, aquatic insects and their larvae, aquatic vegetation, seeds, acorns, to human food sources such as grain.
Nesting and Reproduction: Mallard nests are depressions scraped into the ground located near water. The nests are lined with vegetation and down-feathers from the female’s breast. Mallard pairs begin to form in October. They breed the following spring after which the male Mallard leaves the female. The female is solely responsible for the eggs during incubation. Clutch size for a mallard consists of 1-13 cream-colored eggs. The eggs are incubated for 30 days. The female leads the ducklings to the water 13-16 hours after hatching. The young birds are independent and able to fly in 52-70 days.
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Female Mallard
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Male Mallard
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