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MALLARD FACTS |
Description
The Mallard is a large introduced duck. The male has a grey brown back, chestnut brown breast and green head with narrow white neck band. The underside is light grey. The black tails has white outer feathers. The bill is greenish yellow with a black tip. Outside the breeding season, males are less colourful with brown face, less green on the head, and mottled brown and white body and wings. The female is brown streaked with white and lighter brown. she has a dark eye line and dark streak on top of the head. young birds are similar in appearance to females. Females are similar to the native Pacific Black Duck.
Size
50cm - 70 cm
Habitat
wetlands, grassland, farmland, lakes, marshes, streams, sheltered estuaries
Food
aquatic vegetation, insects, aquatic invertebrates, seeds
Breeding
The Mallard nest is a depression in the ground lined with grass and down. Lays up to 12 cream coloured or pale greenish eggs.
Range
The Mallard is found in North America, Europe and Asia. It was introduced to Australia in the mid nineteenth century and has increased its range across south east of Australia from central coast to Queensland, eastern New south Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, south east parts of South Australia. It is also found in south west corner of Western Australia.
Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Classification
| Class: | Aves | | Order: | Anseriformes | | Family: | Anatidae | | Genus: | Anas | | Species: | platyrhynchos | | Common Name: | Mallard |
Relatives in same Genus
Northern Pintail (A. acuta)
Chestnut Teal (A. castanea)
Northern Shoveler (A. clypeata)
Grey Teal (A. gracilis)
Garganey (A. querquedula)
Australasian Shoveler (A. rhynchotis)
Pacific Black Duck (A. superciliosa)
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