Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
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Distribution Britain 2,596 (-1.2%) Ireland 831 (-9.1%)
Numbers breeding: Britain 115,000 Ireland 23,000 European status: 2,200,000 (6% in Britain and Ireland =7) British population trend: increasing (+29% CBC, +65% farm){+82%} How likely are you to record it? 1978 squares (44.0%) Ranked 30[34] |
The Mallard is the 'Wild Duck' and can be found breeding, even far from water, in all sorts of habitats from remote upland moors to city centre sixth-floor window boxes! It is clearly difficult — impossible — to tell birds originating from populations released by wildfowlers or 'tame' birds. The census work of BTO members indicates good increases following the cold winters of 1962 and 1963 — probably doing better than doubling before 1972. The WBS figures indicate an increase of 199% — almost three-fold — in the 23 years from 1974 to 1976 and the BBS shows no sign of any very recent decrease (+5% non-significant). The recently reported decline in wintering numbers is thus most likely to be due to a decline in winter visitors from the Continent. Most domesticated varieties of duck are derived from mallard stock — the drakes show the characteristic curled feathers above the tail — and so many areas are blessed (or cursed) with rather strange birds. They may be bigger or smaller, darker, pure white or even sport top-knots! The drakes practise serial monogamy seeking a new mate as soon as their first duck has settled on her first clutch. This leads to distressing gang rapes of any single females where several drakes are gathered. Mallards are set to continue their successful exploitation of man.
The following Bird On! sketch is available:
Mallard
From
The
State of the Nations Birds
Copyright © 2000 by Chris Mead