Habitat: Mallards live in lakes, marshes, parks and rivers. They build a nest of grass lined with down and placed on the ground in vegetation near the water.

Foods:  They eat water plants, insects, small fish and grain.

Facts: This large common duck of ponds and sloughs has two white bars bordering its blue wing patch that identify both the colorful male and the mottled brown female.  The green head and white neck ring are also good field marks of the male. Mallards, like other surface feeding ducks, take off in a vertical leap. They feed by tipping in shallow water. Mallards have been domesticated and often produce hybrids with other duck species.

Did you know?: The mallard is the ancestor of nearly every domestic breed of duck and has been used in China for centuries as a source of meat, eggs and down.

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