The mallard duck and it’s habitat

Key information

The mallard is a large and heavy-looking duck. It has a long body and a long and broad bill. The male has a dark green head and a yellow bill is mainly purple-brown on the breast and grey on the body. The female is mainly brown with an orange bill.

Mallards breed in all parts of the UK in summer and winter, wherever suitable wetland habitats exist, although it is scarcer in upland areas. In the UK, mallards may be resident breeders or migrants – many birds that breed in Iceland and northern Europe spend the winter here.

What they eat:

Seeds, acorns and berries, plants, insects and shellfish.

Measurements:

Length:

51- 62 cm

Wingspan:

81-98 cm

Weight:

750-1500 g

Population:

UK breeding:

61,000-145,000+ pairs

UK wintering:

675,000 birds

Identifying features:

This bird species has different identifying features depending on sex/age/season.

Mallard (female)