Creature Feature Encyclopedia: Aves

Mallard Duck Anas platyrhynchos Length: 18-27" (46-68 cm) Habitat: North American ponds, lakes and marshes

This End Up
by Gretchen Askers, Planet Scout Gazette Staff

Mallard Ducks belong to a group of ducks called "dabblers". Unlike Common Loons, which are divers, mallards feed in shallow water by tipping over to reach submerged pond plants. All you see is their toes and tails while the ducks are dabbling. Mallards make their nests of reeds and grasses, lining them with soft down. The nests are usually located near pond edges. The female builds the nest while the male defends the aquatic feeding area nearby. She usually lays 8 to 10 pale greenish white eggs. Did you know that domestic white farm ducks were originally bred from Mallards?

~Salamander Rain: A Lake and Pond Journal © 2001