Mallard

Mallards dabble, tipping forward to feed below the surface with their tails in the air. They adapt to almost anything, which is why they are the most familiar duck in the world.

Females raise the ducklings alone. The male leaves once incubation begins.

Mallards are the wild ancestor of almost every domestic duck breed, and they have lived alongside people longer than most wild birds. They also carry seeds of wetland plants from pond to pond on their feet and in their gut, helping plants reach new water.

Nest — A bowl of plants and down on the ground, hidden in vegetation, sometimes far from water
Eggs — Usually 8 to 13
Incubation — About 26 to 30 days, by the female alone
Ducklings — Leave the nest within a day; the female leads them to water
Flight — At about eight weeks
Lifespan — Usually a few years; some over twenty

• Mallards nest in gardens, planters and courtyards far from water. A nest in an odd place is best left alone; the mother will walk the ducklings to water.
• Ducklings following their mother across a road need only time; stopping traffic briefly is the kindest help.
• Bread swells in a duck's stomach and fills it without nourishing it, and crowds of fed ducks spread disease.
• Released domestic ducks interbreed with wild mallards and cannot survive long on their own.

• A mallard nesting far from water has made a mistake. She will lead the ducklings to water within a day of hatching.
• Ducklings need to be fed bread. Ducklings feed themselves on insects and plants from the start.
• A lone duckling can be reunited by putting it anywhere near ducks. Other females may attack it; it needs its own mother or a rehabilitator.

• American black duck
• Mottled duck
• Gadwall