Common Name: Mallard, Mallard Duck
Scientific Name: Anas platyrhynchos

Female mallards are far less colorful than their male counterparts. Their plumage is an overall mottled brown-buff, with light centers to the largest feathers on the back and less distinct speckling on the underparts. Hens have a bright orange bill smudged with a variable amount of black, but the nail on the tip of the bill is always black.

A hen's chin and throat tend to have less speckling, and they have a clear face pattern with a dark eye stripe and dark crown. Their wings also show the blue speculum bordered with thick white lines, and their rump, tail and undertail coverts are buff with brown speckles. Like the drakes, their legs and feet are bright orange.

This bland coloration serves female mallards well, as it provides good camouflage for tending a nest and caring for hatchlings. At the same time, other female dabbling ducks have similar plumage, including mottled ducks, gadwalls, cinnamon teals and northern shovelers. To be positive about the identification of a mallard hen, study the bill and head markings closely and note the color of the legs.

Photo © Greg