Mallard (Wild Duck, Common Mallard)

The Mallard is the quintessential dabbling duck, known for the adult male's iconic glossy green head, yellow bill, and chestnut-brown chest. Females are mottled brown with orange-tinged bills. They are adaptable swimmers and flyers, often forming large flocks in winter.

Striking structural coloration showing a rich, iridescent metallic green sheen on the distal vane, grading into dark brown and lighter greyish-brown barbs toward the base

Pennaceous upper portion with tightly interlocked barbs and barbicels, transitioning into a plumulaceous (fluffy, downy) base

Smooth, glossy, and water-repellent surface on the pennaceous portion due to preen gland oil, with a soft, downy texture at the proximal base

Brilliant metallic green iridescence combined with greyish-brown downy base and characteristic pale slender rachis

Wetlands, marshes, lakes, rivers, ponds, agricultural fields, and urban parks with access to water

Widespread throughout the temperate and subtropical zones of North America, Europe, Asia, and introduced to Australia and New Zealand

Acts as an important seed disperser for aquatic plants, forms a key link in wetland food webs, and serves as prey for larger raptors and mammals

Other dabbling ducks such as the American Black Duck or Northern Pintail, though the intense metallic green sheen on body feathers strongly points to a male Mallard

Mallards are the ancestors of almost all domestic duck breeds. Their iridescent green head feathers get their color not from pigment, but from microscopic structural refractions of light.

Good condition with intact barbs and minimal wear, showing fresh structural coloration