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| Keywords: outdoor bird animal aquatic bird Mallards are the ducks that gather en masse whenever bread is thrown out at an urban pond. Drakes are about 10% larger than females. In breeding plumage, drakes have the head and neck glossy dark green, separated from the maroon breast by a thin white collar. The back and flanks are pale grey, and the rump and undertail blackish, with curled black upper tail coverts. The secondary flight feathers are metallic blue, forming a ‘speculum’ on the trailling edge of the inner upper-wing. The speculum has thin black then slightly broader white edges at front and rear. The underwing is white. The bill is yellowish, the eye dark, and legs and feet bright orange. Females are dull brown with feathers edged with buff, and have an indistinct dark eye-stripe on an otherwise featureless face. The bill is brownish-grey, orange at base, sides and tip and the legs and feet orange. The wing pattern and leg colour are the same as for males. Males in eclipse resemble females, but with head and neck greyish, retaining some green, and the breast chestnut. Juveniles resemble females. The plumage of New Zealand mallards is highly variable due to hybridisation with grey ducks, and also many domesticated mallard varieties that have escaped into the wild population. nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/mallard en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallard Mallards are the ducks that gather en masse whenever bread is thrown out at an urban pond. Drakes are about 10% larger than females. In breeding plumage, drakes have the head and neck glossy dark green, separated from the maroon breast by a thin white collar. The back and flanks are pale grey, and the rump and undertail blackish, with curled black upper tail coverts. The secondary flight feathers are metallic blue, forming a ‘speculum’ on the trailling edge of the inner upper-wing. The speculum has thin black then slightly broader white edges at front and rear. The underwing is white. The bill is yellowish, the eye dark, and legs and feet bright orange. Females are dull brown with feathers edged with buff, and have an indistinct dark eye-stripe on an otherwise featureless face. The bill is brownish-grey, orange at base, sides and tip and the legs and feet orange. The wing pattern and leg colour are the same as for males. Males in eclipse resemble females, but with head and neck greyish, retaining some green, and the breast chestnut. Juveniles resemble females. The plumage of New Zealand mallards is highly variable due to hybridisation with grey ducks, and also many domesticated mallard varieties that have escaped into the wild population. nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/mallard en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallard | ||||
