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2

Mallard

(Anas platyrhynchos)
: "Wild Duck"
Size: 50-65 cm; wing span 80-100 cm
Weight: 0.7-1.6 kg

Description

Classification

Distribution

Sightings

Photos

Breeding

Nest

Eggs

Behaviour

Food

Call/s

Physical description

Click here for physical description of this species Click here for a physical description

Mallards are dimorphic, with males and females having different and non-breeding plumages. While females are inconspicuously brown, with a brown bill, male Mallards in breeding plumage have a dark blue-green head, dark-yellow bill, white neck ring, dark-brown front and finely striated grey-brown mantle and wing. The males' legs are bright orange.

Taxonomy, classification

See Mallard at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat

Click here for information on habitat and range

The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org .

The global distribution of the Mallard is available HERE .

Mallards are found on all continents of the northern hemisphere. Birds that leave their breeding grounds at the end of summer migrate southwards, from Europe towards the coast of north-western Africa, along the River Nile, around parts of the coastal fringe of Arabia; from western and central Asia to parts of the South-Iranian coastline and in northern India and southern Pakistan. Some also stay permanently in near-coastal northern Africa. In North America the migration leads them from Canada and parts of the Arctic to the rest of the continent, as far South as Mexico.

In Arabia, including Oman, Mallards of race "caesia" are found.

Mallards are very versatile in their choice of habitat and can be found around any kind of fresh water.

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Race "caesia"

So far we have not seen any Mallards, race "caesia" in Oman yet, but have previously encountered them in Europe.

Photos

Race "caesia"

No photos available from Oman yet, but have obtained photos in Europe.

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

mallard_jp_20230222.mp3	caesia (Portugal)	Contact calls? (Q&A)	© JP
mallard_dw_20190413.m4a	caesia (Poland)	Contact calls? (Pair in flight)	© DW
mallard_jp_20200720.m4a	caesia (Portugal)	Alarm calls?	© JP

More Mallard sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site?
If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded. Last updated: Sun, 14 April 2019, 19:50 +00:00