A duck that tips forward to find food in ponds and wetlands. A male’s bright appearance changes with the season to a browner, female-like plumage.
Males in breeding plumage have green heads and white neck-rings. Females are mottled brown, and non-breeding males become browner too.
Mallards can release plant seeds in their droppings while the seeds retain the ability to germinate. A duck’s body provides one route for wetland plants to be transported. Small seeds that survive the journey can grow into plants and produce another generation of seeds.
A study published in 2025 fed seeds of two wetland plants to eight one-year-old captive mallards. Seeds recovered from droppings and seeds that had not been eaten were either sown directly in soil or embedded in droppings placed on soil. The plants were followed in a greenhouse for about eleven weeks. Seeds that had passed through the birds grew into plants, but embedding seeds in droppings reduced germination and final plant mass in both species. Total seed production also fell in the annual plant. Even nutrient-containing droppings can provide a difficult starting place for a small seedling. Conditions around seeds after a duck releases them also influence the outcome of plant transport.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
In North Dakota’s May 2025 breeding survey, the estimated mallard population was 26% lower than in the previous year and the lowest in that state’s survey since 1993. State biologists identified dry conditions during early arrival and losses of perennial nesting grasslands, including Conservation Reserve Program land, as concerns. The agency called for more grass and water to support recovery. This describes regional breeding conditions in North America.