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Mallard Anas platyrhynchos [Linnaeus, 1758]
Other Names
Trends & Distribution
Breeding & Survival
Biometrics
Books & Links
Order:
Anseriformes
Family:
Anatidae
BTO Codes:
MA , MALLA
EURING No:
1860
Number in Britain:
81 thousand pairs (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK:
GREEN
European:
Not a species of concern
Global:
Least Concern
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Status in UK:
(AC2C4) Introduced/Resident Breeder, Winter Visitor
Subspecies:
platyrhynchos recorded in Britain (of 3 subsp. in the world)
.
Length:
58 cm
Wingspan:
90 cm
Weight:
M: 1.2 kg F: 975
Scientific name from:
L.: anas =a duck
and Gr.: platus =broad + rhunkhos =bill
World Distribution:
Eurasia, North America, widely domesticated
Habitat:
Anywhere with water
Diet:
Omnivorous and opportunistic
TitBit:
The plain brown colour of the female is so different from the male that they were originally thought to be separate species; the original ancestor of most domestic ducks
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
Regional Trends:
Distribution:
New Atlas )
British Population Size:
Summer:
48 to 114 thousand pairs
in 1988-91
Note: Best estimate
Winter:
352 thousand individuals
in 1994-99
First Record:
8th Century
[Fossil evidence from
Middle Pleistocene, c. 500,000 yr ago]
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
Most frequent in:
Along Rivers
Also common in:
Lakes, Ponds
And found in:
Estuaries
Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:
European Population Size:
Summer:
2 to 3.4 million pairs
Birds in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
WCA(II,III), WBD(II*,III*), Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA
Survey Results:
Breeding and Survival
Egg Size:
57 x 41 mm
Egg Weight:
54.0 g (of which 8 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records:
193
Clutch Size:
11 - 14 eggs
Incubation:
27 - 28 days
by the:
Female
Fledging:
50 - 60 days
as:
Precocial, downy
First Clutches Laid:
Unavailable
Number of Broods:
1
Trends in Breeding Productivity
Number Ringed:
1463
Adult Survival:
0.625
Juvenile Survival:
0.518 (in First-Year)
Age at First Breeding:
1
year
Typical Lifespan:
3
years
Maximum Recorded Age:
20yr5m
(Sweden: 23yr 2m)
Biometrics
Ring Size:
G*
Wing Length
Adult:
274.5 ± 12.4
Range
255 - 293 mm, N =2568
Juvenile:
268.0 ± 16.5
241 - 288 mm, N =1345
Male:
281.2 ± 10.3
265 - 295 mm, N =1476
Female:
265.3 ± 8.4
252 - 278 mm, N =1065
Weight
Adult:
1.21 ± 0.17
Range
0.95 - 1.51 kg , N =1859
Juvenile:
1.09 ± 0.16
0.85 - 1.34 kg , N =1005
Male:
1.27 ± 0.17
1.02 - 1.55 kg , N =1057
Female:
1.13 ± 0.15 .
0.90 - 1.39 kg , N =797
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data
Other Names
Gaelic:
Lach-riabhach
Welsh:
Hwyaden Wyllt
Danish:
Grĺand
Dutch:
Wilde eend
Finnish:
Sinisorsa
French:
Canard colvert
German:
Stockente
Hungarian:
Tokés réce
Icelandic:
Stokkönd
Irish:
Mallard
Italian:
Germano reale
Norwegian:
Stokkand
Polish:
Krzyzówka
Portuguese:
Pato-real
Spanish:
Anade real
Swedish:
Gräsand
For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
Kear, J 2005 Ducks, geese and swans Oxford University Press
[598.48 KEA]
See Also:
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
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