Mallard Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  Mallards are large ducks with hefty bodies, rounded heads, and wide, flat bills. Like many “dabbling ducks” the body is long and the tail rides high out of the water, giving a blunt shape. In flight their wings are broad and set back toward the rear.

  Relative Size

  A fairly large duck, noticeably larger than teal but much smaller than a Canada Goose.

  between crow and goose

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 19.7-25.6 in (50-65 cm)
    • Weight: 35.3-45.9 oz (1000-1300 g)
    • Wingspan: 32.3-37.4 in (82-95 cm)

  © Liron Gertsman / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Male Mallards have a dark, iridescent-green head and bright yellow bill. The gray body is sandwiched between a brown breast and black rear. Females and juveniles are mottled brown with orange-and-brown bills. Both sexes have a white-bordered, blue “speculum” patch in the wing.

• Behavior

  Mallards are “dabbling ducks”—they feed in the water by tipping forward and grazing on underwater plants. They almost never dive. They can be very tame ducks especially in city ponds, and often group together with other Mallards and other species of dabbling ducks.
• Habitat

  Mallards can live in almost any wetland habitat, natural or artificial. Look for them on lakes, ponds, marshes, rivers, and coastal habitats, as well as city and suburban parks and residential backyards.