Mallard (Wild Duck)

The Mallard is the most familiar and abundant wild duck in the world. Known for the iconic glossy green head of the adult male and the mottled brown camouflage of the female, they are highly adaptable dabbling ducks found in almost any wetland habitat. They feed by tipping up in the water rather than diving.

Dark greyish-brown to blackish tones mixed with fine vermiculations or lighter grey edges, typical of female or non-breeding Mallard plumage

Plumulaceous (loose and fluffy) structure with disunited barbules lacking effective hooklets, giving it a hair-like appearance

Soft, silky, and somewhat frayed in appearance due to the lack of interlocking barbicels; matte texture

Loose, hair-like barb structure combined with grayish-brown vermiculated tones characteristic of dabbling duck body feathers

Wetlands, marshes, lakes, rivers, ponds, agricultural fields, and urban parks

Widespread throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa; highly migratory in northern ranges

Serves as an important seed disperser for aquatic plants, a prey base for various predators, and an important bioindicator for wetland health

Other dabbling ducks such as American Black Duck, Gadwall, and Northern Pintail, whose body feathers share similar coloration and structural traits

Mallards are the ancestors of almost all domestic duck breeds. They are dabbling ducks, meaning they feed primarily by dabbling at the surface or tipping upside down to reach underwater plants.

Fair condition; shows some wear, slight separation of the barbs, and curling along the edges, typical of a naturally molted feather found outdoors