Mallard Duck

QUICK FACTS

Length: ~ 2 feet
Color: (Female) Brown, with darker highlights (Male) Brown body with an iconic green head (Both) Blue highlights along the wings
Diet: Omnivorous (weeds, seeds, insects, and aquatic life)
Habitat: Wetlands with lots of floating vegetation
Average Lifespan: ~ 26 years
Nests: On the ground, around 1 mile from water
Status: Least Concern (not endangered)

 

Male Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos); taken along the Concord River in Lowell

The mallard is the most common duck species in North America. Mallards have adapted to urban environments and are frequently seen in the Merrimack River and throughout Lowell. Mallards will interbreed with several other duck species. As a result, other duck populations have declined with the increase of the Mallard population. The native Black Duck, a close relative of the Mallard, has become rarer in this area because of interbreeding.

Some mallards have adapted to living in ponds and water environments without natural resources, instead relying on the food left behind or provided by humans, usually in parks and other high-traffic areas. It is an uncommon case of an animal effectively domesticating itself, becoming reliant on humans for survival. Lowell's ducks are sometimes found in parks, but mostly inhabit the river biome.

Mallards are generally migratory, and head south during the winter months. Some, if they have access to food and shelter, choose to remain in colder climates thorugh the winter. The iconic "quack" of a duck can be heard from miles away, and is used by females to call out to their young.