Mallard

Appearance

In breeding plumage the drake has a metallic green head, a narrow white neck ring, a chestnut breast, a grey body and a yellow bill. The hen is mottled brown for camouflage, with an orange-brown bill. Both sexes show a blue, white-bordered speculum on the wing.

It occurs on almost every wetland: lakes, oxbows, fish ponds, canals, rivers and urban ponds. In winter large flocks gather on ice-free water, joined by birds arriving from the north.

A dabbling duck: it feeds at the surface or by upending (tipping head and front of the body under water). It eats plant parts, seeds and invertebrates, and in autumn often feeds on harvested grain fields.

Pairs form in autumn and winter. The hen nests on the ground near water, sometimes in tree holes or forks, and lays 8–12 eggs.

• Track: three-toed, webbed footprint on muddy banks.
• Call: the hen's loud, descending quack; the drake's call is quieter and hoarser.
• Feathers: blue-speculum flight feathers found on the bank during the summer moult.