Duck mallard

The duck mallard ( Anas platyrhynchos ) is a Oiseau Ansériforme S, of the Anatidé S and of the Anatiné S. It is also called malard or head-green . These Canard S is certainly most known and recognizable of all ducks, because of existence of a race domesticates, the Canard domesticates.

Identification

It is most widespread of the Canard S savages. The mallard measures 50 to 60 centimetres length for a weight of 850 grams to 1,4 kilogram, and a scale of 80 centimetres to 1 meter. The male is easily recognizable, for the bridal period (twice a year), by its head of a green shining (from where its name). The remainder of the plumage is gray-brown with white, with a blue-purple wing mirror, the nozzle is yellow.

After the bridal period, it moults and takes its plumage known as “of eclipse” (of beige color) and loses its feathers of flight (rémiges). He lives then in the reeds and tall grasses. The female has the brown nozzle, and the duller plumage (beige mottled of brown). This period lasts from June to August.

It is said that the mallard cancane, caquète or nasille. The cry of the female is noisy and raucous, that of the softer male.

The mallard can live up to 29 years, but generally hardly exceeds 5 years. Its principal predatory is the man and the small carnivores like the Renard, the marten or the Loutre.

Habitat and mode

This duck lives in the fresh water wetlands, that it is in the marshes, the ponds and the lakes or the rivers calm, in all the moderate and subtropical areas of North America, of Europe, of Asia, the Nouvelle Zealand, and Australia. He lives on water, and goes on the dry land only for the nesting and the rest. This species is migrating in the north of its surface of distribution. For example, the specimens of North America winter in the south of Mexico, and for some of them in Central America and with the Caribbean from September to May.

The mallard belongs to the caste of the ducks of surface or wash-bottles, those which prefer to feed on the surface, or at a shallow depth water, while advancing with blows of circular and alternate legs: it plunges the head in water and rocks forwards, which enables him to reach the bottom of water with its nozzle. It nourishes fish and grass, of Ver S, Grenouille S and Insecte S.

Reproduction

The mallard is monogamist but changes couple at each period of reproduction. Generally, the female arrives the first on the place of nesting (generally close to its birthplace), and builds its Nid on the ground, in a hidden place, close to a water level. It is composed of grass, snap ring and sheets, and is furnished with sleeping bag which the duck tears off from its own plumage. For the period of reproduction, the male protects its female vigorously. It then leaves it as of incubation.

The laying takes place in March. The number of egg S varies from 7 to 16. Only the female broods, during 26 to 28 days. Indeed, the plumage of the female enables him to pass unperceived in the middle of the vegetation. If the male helped with the incubation, the nest easily would be located by the predatory ones and is destroyed.

After the blossoming, it is still the female alone which deals with the ducklings. It leads them to the water level nearest and learns how to them to swim and to be nourished until they are in age to fly (approximately 7 weeks). They leave then the nest. The ducklings will be able to reproduce as of the following year.

Manners

The mallard is a not very savage animal. It is acclimatized easily to the urban life and fears the man little. It frequently reproduces with other species (black Canard or its congeneric Canard domesticates).

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