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CONSERVATION CORNER
(For the week of December 6, 2010)
The Mallard
by James L. Cummins

The drake mallard is the most sought after species of waterfowl in Mississippi. No other species so quickly comes to mind when waterfowlers take to flooded fields, cypress brakes and beaver sloughs during Mississippi’s waterfowl season.

The mallard has the most extensive breeding range of any duck. During February and March, mallards are leaving their wintering grounds and begin the migration to the nesting grounds. Mallards reach their nesting grounds around April and May.

As large flocks arrive at the larger water areas of the breeding grounds, they begin to break up as pairs and disperse to potholes and other small water areas in search of a nest site. The hen forms a nest bowl in plant litter or earth. The area is 7 to 8 inches in diameter and 1 to 2 inches deep. The hen lays one egg a day until the clutch is complete. Mallards lay an average of nine eggs per clutch. Incubation lasts 26 to 30 days.

Nest failure can be a significant problem and predation is the largest contributor to this failure. Skunks, raccoons, red fox, crows and magpies are all destroyers of mallard nests.

Adult drake mallards, or “greenheads,” have a glossy green head, a yellow bill and a white neck-ring which separates the green head from the chestnut-brown breast. The sides are gray. The tail consists of a white section sandwiched between two black sections. The wing spectrum is an iridescent violet-blue which is bordered by a pronounced white stripe at the front and back. The legs and feet are a bright coral-red color.

The hen mallard or “Susie” is mottled brown in color, usually being darker on the upper body and lighter on the lower body. The bill is usually orange in color and the legs and feet are a dull orange.

The mallard is the most vocal of all commonly hunted waterfowl species. Though drakes are rather quiet, the hen has a variety of quacks that set the standard of comparison with other species and for hunters attempting to call ducks.

Mallards are dabbling ducks or what are commonly referred to as puddle ducks. They frequent shallow waters rather than deep lakes or bays. Lowland areas covered with a foot or two of water provide prime habitat for mallards. Sloughs, shallow impoundments such as beaver ponds and agricultural fields are among the many sites frequented by mallards in the Magnolia State.

Like other dabbling ducks, mallards feed by tipping up rather than diving beneath the water. Mallards feed on a variety of natural foods such as wild millet, smartweed, a variety of grasses and other plants. Mallards also feed on waste grains such as rice, corn, soybeans and sorghum.