Mallard

The Mallard is probably the most familiar duck in Britain. Male Mallards have a shiny green head, a yellow bill, a thin white ring around their neck, and a chestnut-coloured chest during the breeding season. Female Mallards are brown all over with an orange bill that has dark spots. Both males and females have distinctive blue-purple feathers on their wings, edged with white, which can be seen when they fly or rest. Male Mallards in eclipse plumage look like females but keep their yellow bills. Mallards are found all year round across the UK. They live in almost any freshwater place, including city park ponds, canals, rivers, lakes, and marshes. They also visit estuaries and sheltered coastal waters, especially in winter. They are very adaptable dabbling ducks, comfortable in busy city areas as well as quiet wetlands. Mallards often breed with domestic ducks, creating mixed offspring that are commonly seen in towns and cities.