ChisaiiStudio

"Ahead Of The Storm"

Mallard Duck

7 x 10

Colored Pencil

Stonehenge Paper

A quick description of Mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos):

One of the most familiar of ducks, the Mallard is found throughout North America and all across Eurasia. Where it does not occur naturally, it often has been introduced. It is found in all kinds of wetlands and is a familiar inhabitant of urban park ponds.

Adult Description:

Large dabbling duck.

Male with iridescent green head, rusty chest, and gray body.

Female mottled brown.

Male Description:

Breeding (Alternate) Plumage: Head iridescent dark green. Narrow white neck ring. Breast chestnut-brown. Back and wings brownish gray. Underparts light grayish. Rump and under tail black, with white area just in front along flanks. Tail white on outside with black middle feathers. Central tail feathers curled up toward back. Bill yellow to greenish, with black nail at tip. Eyes dark. Feet red.

Eclipse (Basic) Plumage: Crown dark green. Face pale brownish. Dark line through eye. Breast warm brown. Body and wings mottled brown, white, and buff. Slight upturn to central tail feathers. Bill clear yellowish olive.

Female Description:

Brownish all over with mottled streaking of buff, white, and dark brown. Face paler than body. Dark line through eye. Dark streak on crown. Belly pale. Tail whitish. Undertail pale. Bill orange or yellow marked with variable splotches of black. Legs red-orange.

Immature Description:

Juvenile similar to female.