The mallard is the main ancestor of most breeds of domesticated ducks.
Mallards usually form pairs in October and November until the female lays eggs in the spring.
At this time she is left by the male who joins up with other males to await the moulting period, which begins in June.
The female lays eight to 13 creamy white to greenish-buff spotless eggs, on alternate days. Incubation takes 27 to 28 days. The ducklings are fully capable of swimming as soon as they hatch.
The mallard is omnivorous and very flexible in its choice of food. The majority of the mallard's diet seems to be made up of gastropods, beetles, flies, dragonflies, and caddis flies, crustaceans, worms, many varieties of seeds and plant matter, and roots and tubers. |