(Picture reproduced courtesy of the Bauer, Erwin and Peggy/ USFWS)
Mallard are one of the two most common of the wildfowling quarry species on the Humber and will be familiar to most people. The Mallard inhabits most areas from drainage dykes and village ponds to large lakes and even fast flowing rivers.
Its feeding preferences are very varied which makes its adaption to any area very easy. Seeds of small plants predominate such as sedges, pond weeds, bankside growing weeds and grains, other foodstuffs are eaten such as potatoes, grass and even acorns following a good Oak crop. Mallard are widespread and common throughout Europe and many other parts of the world. The easiest way to identify the Mallard is to visit a local pond or park where they are resident, listen to their call and feeding "chatter". The call has a loud, hoarse, rasping sound and can be heard from a good distance. In flight the best aids to identification of the drake Mallard are its wing bars of bluish - purple bordered with white and black, which is clearly vivisble at long ranges and the dark bottle green head which ends with a white neck ring. The beak is broad and bright yellow, its chest is usually chestnut brown fading to white underbelly and black tail, the Mallard is the only duck with curled black tail feathers, its legs in winter are bright orange-red.
The female as in common with most duck species is a dull brown in colour but also has the bright bluish - purple wing bar.