See all posts in the Birds of Carver County series

The Mallard is one of the most common and abundant waterfowl in the northern hemisphere and is found throughout Minnesota and Carver County in all our seasons where there is open water. Its scientific name is Anas platyrhynchos and means “duck with a broad bill.”

It is a highly prized game bird and has been shot for sport and meat for hundreds of years, throughout its range. Consequently, they have become wary of humans during hunting season, but Mallards will also acclimate to streams and ponds within urban environments, especially where “duck ponds” attract humans bringing bags of old bread and grains.

Memorial Park across the Minnesota River in Shakopee (Scott County) is a prime location to see Mallards in the winter.

With the male Mallard being slightly larger, this duck averages 23 inches long, a wingspan 35 inches wide and weighs about 2.4 pounds. The species is “sexually dimorphic,” meaning that mature males and females have different appearances, although they hatch looking identical. “Drake” males and “hen” females form pairs in the fall and winter and are usually seen together during nesting months of spring and summer.  

In breeding plumage, males have green heads that appear iridescent in sunshine. Their body is pale gray with a reddish-brown chest, yellow bill and orange feet.

The female is mottled brown, a face that has a dark eyestripe, and an orange/olive bill. During a three- to four-week period in late summer, both sexes shed their flight feathers and the male’s head loses its bright green color, so it becomes less conspicuous. This is known as “eclipse” or non-breeding plumage.

Another gender difference in Mallards is their vocalization. Females are responsible of the loud “quack” that we associate with ducks. Males have a quieter, raspier call that is given when alarmed, to attract female’s attention during courtship and as a contact call with a mate.

Once freezing temperatures arrive, Mallards will move to find places with open water. Pairs will stay together and breeding season starts in April. Females return to the same sites where they had previously successfully bred. They are responsible for building the nest and raising their young.

Typically, about eight eggs are laid. Surprisingly, she does not provide any incubation until after she’s laid all the eggs. After about 28 days, the eggs hatch and the nestlings feed themselves. The hens stay with their brood until they can fly, which takes another 50 to 70 days.

During the breeding and nesting season, Mallards eat mostly animal foods, including insects such as midge larvae, dragonflies, caddisfly larvae, aquatic invertebrates such as snails and freshwater shrimp, and terrestrial earthworms. Outside of breeding season, their diet is predominately seeds from moist-soil plants, acorns, aquatic vegetation, cereal crops and wheat.

The Mallard is a widely distributed species, but the core of its breeding population lies in the Prairie Pothole Region centered in the Great Plains. Although this encompasses only 10% of the continent’s wetlands, those wetlands produce 50% to 80% of the continent’s ducks. Ducks Unlimited, a nonprofit organization dedicated to wetland conservation, has played a major role implementing conservation initiatives that benefit Mallards and all wetland-dependent species in North America.

The Mallard is a strong flier that can reach speeds of 55 miles per hour. This provides a challenge for hunters, but the conservation efforts of hunters and their purchase of duck stamps fund the management and protection of many vital wetlands. Non-hunters also benefit from the pleasant sight of these colorful ducks living their lives close to us.

For more information:

• The Sibley Guide to Birds, David Allen Sibley
• Reader’s Digest Book of North American Birds
• Birds of Minnesota and Wisconsin, Janssen, Tessen, and Kennedy
• Breeding Birds of Minnesota, Pfannmuller, Niemi and Green
• The Audubon Society’s Encyclopedia of North American Birds, John K. Terres
• Birds of the World, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Online: All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology LINK
• Online: Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas