The Mallard or Wild Duck (Anas platyrhynchos) is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia. This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae.
The male birds (drakes) have a glossy green head and are grey on wings and belly, while the females have mainly brown-speckled plumage. Mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are gregarious. This species is the ancestor of most breeds of domestic ducks.
This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme
Pretty scene and I love the ducks! Thank you for linking up and sharing your critter post.
ReplyDeleteTake care, have a great weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
The glossy green head is impressive to look at, so I assume the males parade around like that to attract females.
ReplyDeletethe ability of mallards to adapt all over the planet is really amazing. Most birders won’t even look at them! Too common.
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