Mallard

Description: The most easily recognizable of all waterfowl, mallard drakes have iridescent green heads with a white ring around the neck, grayish-brown backs and sides, and whitish-silver bellies. The tail feathers are black and curl upwards. Their legs and feet are orange, and their bills are drab green. Hens are mixed brown with lighter bellies and orange bills with black splotches. Both hens and drakes have blue-purple speculum feathers bordered in white. Drakes are significantly larger than hens. Average size: 18-28 inches. Average weight: 2-4 pounds.

Science: Mallards have the most extensive breeding range of any duck. They nest throughout much of the United States, extending up through Canada and into Alaska. A large breeding concentration is in the prairie pothole region, where they prefer marshes and sloughs. Mallards migrate in large flocks, which can number into the thousands; they begin moving south when water starts to freeze in their breeding ground and winter throughout the United States and Mexico, with the largest populations found in the southern states and Mexico. They can be found in open water, rivers, wooded swamps, and ponds near food fields, where they eat corn, soybeans, grains, and a wide variety of aquatic plants. These vocal birds call to entice other ducks into landing nearby. The mallard population is increasing.

Hunting: Mallards are hunted in a variety of ways in and around ponds, marshes, lakes, flooded agricultural fields, and rivers. Numerous blind types, boats, and calls are available. The most popular method is to use a blind and set up decoys to bring the birds into shooting range. Mallards respond well to calling and often can be enticed to land within yards of the hunter. The eating quality is excellent: they have a mild flavor and are among the best-tasting ducks.