The male mallard is a very colourful and attractive bird, and so common here in York that it might almost be taken for granted.
This mallard was having a quiet time near the edge of Rawcliffe Lake, while Katharine and I had a quiet sit on a bench beside the lake. Yesterday afternoon was a lovely warm and sunny time and it was nice to just relax. That wouldn't last for long, soon the excited children from the local primary school would be on their way home and that would be the end of the tranquility!
The mallard is a large and heavy looking duck. It has a long body, and a long and broad bill. The male has a dark green head, a yellow bill, is mainly purple-brown on the breast and grey on the body. The female is mainly brown with an orange bill.
Mallards breed in all parts of the UK in summer and winter, wherever there are suitable wetland habitats, although it is scarcer in upland areas.
In the UK, mallards may be resident breeders or migrants - many of the birds that breed in Iceland and northern Europe spend the winter here.
Mallards are widely spread around the world. They breed throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and have been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Falkland Islands, and South Africa.
The mallard is considered to be a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Unlike many waterfowl, mallards are considered an invasive species in some regions. It is a very adaptable species, being able to live and even thrive in urban areas which may have supported more localised, sensitive species of waterfowl before development.
Thank you for all your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
Although the mallard is a common everyday bird, it deserves a second look for it's beautiful colourful display.
Ian
Thank you Paul, it was a lovely afternoon by the lake for reflection shots!
Ian