Species Facts

Conservation Status: IUCN Least Concern

Description:  Adult male Mallards are unmistakable with their iridescent green heads, yellow bills, brown chests, and gray/brown bodies. The females are mottled brown and can be a little harder to distinguish from other duck species. Mallard ducklings will have a clear brown eye line going across their faces.

Play Mallard call:

Where to find them: A better question might be “Where can’t you find them?” These ducks are common across their natural Northern Hemishphere range throughout the United States and Europe, as well as places they have been introduced in parts of Asia, Africa, New Zealand, and Australia. If there is water, you are likely to find Mallards nearby.

Fun Facts:

• Mallards can fly at an estimated speed of 55 miles per hour! (1)
• The oldest recorded Mallard was 27 years old (2)
• Mallards are the #1 species we care for each year, with orphaned or kidnapped ducklings making up the bulk of those numbers.

Threats: Pets, car collisions, kidnapping, pathogens, contamination, habituation, lead poisoning

How YOU can Help: Don’t feed ducks at the park. It may seem like a nice thing to do, but can lead to health issues and habituation.