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The mallard is our most numerous dabbling duck in the breeding season (more than twenty thousand pairs), during migration and as winterer (up to fifteen thousand individuals). Dabbling ducks forage in shallow waters, in contrast to the diving duck group. From the call of the mallard - “quacking ducks“ - we know that here is the ancestors at least of all European domestic ducks. Other wild ducks have quite different calls; there are around twenty of these species.

 

There seems to be two kinds of mallards: the mallards in nature and the city mallards. In nature they are very cautious, one might even say shy, but when settled in the city, they can easily be tempted to eat from the hand of a human. This has probably been successfully used in breeding domestic ducks.

 

To describe the exterior of such a well-known bird shouldn’t be necessary; it may be interesting for winter bird observers to find out on their own what should be noted  – all the  characteristics of the species are clearly visible. Sometimes it may be necessary to check something quickly from the bird book – in that case it is very useful to have trained to notice and to spot the characteristics.

 

As squabbling ducks the mallards are waterfowl with a mixed diet. On the food list are the green parts of plants, aquatic insects, crustaceans and molluscs. The duck’s beak is like a hairbrush from the inside – plodding in the water they let water flow through it, and in the process the fringe along the beak's edge retains the food, whereupon a suitable „beakful“ is swallowed.