Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Identification Tips:
- Large dabbling duck
- Blue speculum with white bar along both leading and trailing
edges
- Silvery-white wing linings
- Juvenile similar to adult female
- In the southwestern United States the "Mexican Duck", formerly a
separate species, has both sexes similar to the female Mallard
Adult male alternate:
- Alternate plumage worn from fall through early summer
- Gray back
- Yellow bill
- Green head
- White ring around neck
- Chestnut breast
- Gray flanks and upperwing coverts
- Black undertail coverts contrast with white tail
Adult male basic:
- Similar to adult female, but usually with chestnut
breast and an unmarked yellowish bill
Adult female:
- Orange bill with black central patch
- Pale brown face
- Dark cap and eye line
- Mottled brown and tan plumage
Similar species:
Adult male in alternate plumage is unmistakable. Females,
immature and eclipse-plumage males could be confused with Black
Ducks, Gadwalls and Mottled Ducks, but note the blue speculum with
white borders on both sides. Gadwalls are also distinctive in their
steeper forehead, gray bill with orange edges and white
belly patch. Hybrid Mallard x Black Ducks are often seen and are
darker than Mallards, with a more purple speculum bordered by white
on one or both edges and usually show some traces of the Mallard
plumage.