Mallard

Scientific name: Anas platyrhynchos

How weight is recorded: Whole weight

Field notes

Appearance

Males display an iridescent green head, white breast, and chestnut body; females are mottled brown with a white tail. Both sexes show a distinctive speculum (wing patch) bordered in white, visible in flight.

Size and weight

Males 1.0–1.3 kg, females 0.9–1.1 kg; body length 50–65 cm.

Habitat

Mallards inhabit freshwater and brackish wetlands including lakes, ponds, marshes, and slow rivers with emergent vegetation. They adapt readily to human-modified landscapes such as park ponds and agricultural wetlands across lowland to moderate elevations.

Distribution

Mallards breed across the Northern Hemisphere from temperate to subarctic zones; northern populations are migratory while southern birds may be resident. They favour shallow wetlands with adjacent grassland or cropland.

Diet

Mallards dabble for seeds, aquatic plants, and invertebrates in shallows; they also graze on terrestrial vegetation and consume grain in agricultural areas, with diet shifting seasonally toward plant matter in winter.

Behaviour

Mallards are primarily diurnal and crepuscular, most active at dawn and dusk. They are highly social, forming flocks outside breeding season, and show strong site fidelity to traditional water bodies and flight corridors.

Hunting tips

Look for mallard sign—droppings clustered near water margins, footprints in mud, and flattened grass beds where birds roost overnight. Approach wetlands during low-light hours when birds are most active; use water features and vegetation for concealment and position downwind. Effective technique involves waiting at roost sites or flight corridors between feeding and resting areas, with decoys effective in shallow open water.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 61 countries in Huntify.

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.