How to identify it
Drake: glossy green head, yellow bill, white neck ring, chestnut breast, gray body and curled black tail feathers. [1][2]
Hen: mottled brown with an orange bill marked with black, and orange legs. [1][2]
Both sexes show a blue to purplish-blue speculum bordered in white. [1][2]
Compared with the american black duck: Black ducks are much darker with a gray head and a speculum lacking bold white borders. [1][2]
Compared with the mottled duck: Compare female mallards with mottled ducks in Florida and on the Gulf Coast. [1][2]
Compared with the mexican duck: Compare female mallards with Mexican ducks in the Southwest. [1][2]
Species it is confused with
Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.
- American black duck · Anas rubripes
Where it lives
Marshes, prairie potholes and reed-ringed sloughs, ponds, rivers, lakes, bays, grain fields and city parks; prefers fresh water. [1][2]
How it behaves
Dabbles, up-ends with tail vertical, occasionally dives, and grazes on land. [1][2]
What changes by season
Males enter brown eclipse plumage after breeding and can resemble females. Mallards also hybridize with American black ducks, creating intermediate-looking birds. [1][2]
Where it is listed for legal take
These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.
Where legal take is listed
- Alberta — migratory bird hunting · 2026 Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations
- British Columbia — migratory bird hunting · 2026-2028 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis
- Canada (federal migratory birds) — migratory bird hunting · Migratory Birds Regulations, 2022 (SOR/2022-105), Schedule Parts 7-13 (MB, SK, AB, BC, NT, YT, NU)
- New Brunswick — migratory bird hunting · Migratory Birds Regulations, 2022, Schedule 3, Part 4 (New Brunswick) (current to 2026-09-21)
- Newfoundland and Labrador — migratory bird hunting · Migratory Birds Regulations, 2022, Schedule 3, Part 1 (Newfoundland and Labrador) (current to 2026-09-21)
- Nova Scotia — migratory bird hunting · Migratory Birds Regulations, 2022, Schedule 3, Part 3 (Nova Scotia) (current to 2026-09-21)
- Ontario — migratory bird hunting · Migratory Birds Regulations, 2022, Schedule 3, Part 6 (Ontario) (current to 2026-09-21)
- Prince Edward Island — migratory bird hunting · Migratory Birds Regulations, 2022, Schedule 3, Part 2 (Prince Edward Island) (current to 2026-09-21)
- Québec — migratory bird hunting · Migratory Birds Regulations, 2022, Schedule 3, Part 5 (Quebec) (current to 2026-09-21)
- Saskatchewan — migratory bird hunting · Saskatchewan Hunters Guide 2026-27
- Alabama — migratory bird hunting · Waterfowl Seasons 2026-2027 (ADCNR)
- Arkansas — migratory bird hunting · Waterfowl Season Dates, Rules & Regulations (2026-27)
- California — migratory bird hunting · 2026-2027 California Waterfowl, Upland Game, and Public Use of Department Lands Regulations
- Colorado — migratory bird hunting · 2 CCR 406-5 Chapter W-5 Migratory Birds (03/04/2026; eff. 2026-05-01)
- Connecticut — migratory bird hunting · 2026-2027 CT Migratory Bird Hunting Guide
- Delaware — migratory bird hunting · 2026-27 Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide: Migratory Bird Seasons & Bag Limits
- Florida — migratory bird hunting · 2026-2027 Florida Migratory Bird Hunting Season Dates and Bag Limits (FWC)
- Georgia — migratory bird hunting · 2026-2027 Season Dates - Migratory Birds (WRD 1-page synopsis, linked from georgiawildlife.com/migratory-bird-info)
- Idaho — migratory bird hunting · Idaho Migratory Game Bird 2026-2027 Seasons & Rules
- Illinois — migratory bird hunting · Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2026-2027 (PDF read from cached copy of the digest linked on this page)
- Indiana — migratory bird hunting · Indiana Hunting & Trapping Guide 2026-2027: Waterfowl & Migratory Bird Regulations
- Iowa — migratory bird hunting · 2026-27 Iowa Hunting, Trapping & Migratory Game Bird Regulations (DNR PDF; page numbers cited)
- Kansas — migratory bird hunting · Kansas Hunting & Furharvesting Regulations Summary, Fall 2025-Spring 2026
- Kentucky — migratory bird hunting · Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide, August 2026-March 2027
- Louisiana — migratory bird hunting · 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting Regulations (updated Aug 7, 2026)
- Maine — migratory bird hunting · 2026-27 Maine Migratory Game Bird Quick Reference Guide
- Maryland — migratory bird hunting · 2026-27 Maryland Guide to Hunting & Trapping (official guide, linked from dnr.maryland.gov/huntersguide)
- Minnesota — migratory bird hunting · Minnesota Hunting & Trapping Regulations (effective July 2026 - June 30, 2027)
- Mississippi — migratory bird hunting · Migratory Gamebird Digest 2026-27 (MDWFP)
- Missouri — migratory bird hunting · Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Hunting Digest 2026-2027 (cached PDF from MDC regulations page)
- Montana — migratory bird hunting · 2026 Waterfowl, Sandhill Cranes, Mourning Doves & Snipe Regulations
- Nebraska — migratory bird hunting · Small Game & Waterfowl Guide 2025-2026
- New Hampshire — migratory bird hunting · Fis 300 Wildlife Seasons and Rules
- New Mexico — migratory bird hunting · 2026-2027 New Mexico Migratory Game Bird Supplement
- North Carolina — migratory bird hunting · Proclamation: 2026-2027 Migratory Game Bird Hunting Seasons (NCWRC)
- North Dakota — migratory bird hunting · 2026-2027 Small Game, Waterfowl and Furbearer Proclamation
- Ohio — migratory bird hunting · Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2026-27 (effective 1 Sep 2026-31 Aug 2027); PDF read from cached copy
- Oklahoma — migratory bird hunting · Ducks, Mergansers & Coots
- Oregon — migratory bird hunting · 2026-27 Oregon Game Bird Hunting Regulations (official ODFW booklet)
- Pennsylvania — migratory bird hunting · 2026-27 Seasons and Bag Limits
- Rhode Island — migratory bird hunting · Hunting and Trapping Regulations (250-RICR-60-00-9)
- South Carolina — migratory bird hunting · 2026-2027 South Carolina Hunting & Fishing Laws and Regulations Guide
- South Dakota — migratory bird hunting · 2026 South Dakota Hunting and Trapping Handbook
- Tennessee — migratory bird hunting · Summary of Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Seasons Dates | TWRA
- Texas — migratory bird hunting · Duck: 2026-2027 Seasons & Regulations
- Utah — migratory bird hunting · 2026-27 Waterfowl, Upland Game and Turkey Guidebook
- Vermont — migratory bird hunting · 2026-2027 Vermont Migratory Bird Hunting Syllabus
- Virginia — migratory bird hunting · Migratory Game Bird Regulations | Virginia DWR
- Washington — migratory bird hunting · 2026 Washington Game Bird and Small Game Hunting Regulations (Jul 1 2026 - Jun 30 2027)
- West Virginia — migratory bird hunting · West Virginia Migratory Game Bird Regulations Sept 2026-Jan 2027
- Wisconsin — migratory bird hunting · 2026 Wisconsin Hunting and Trapping Seasons PUB-CS-076-2026 (updated 06/08/2026)
- Wyoming — migratory bird hunting · WGFC Ch. 14 Migratory Game Bird Hunting Seasons and Light Goose Conservation Order (dated Apr 22 2026)
Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.
Where it is found
Across Alaska, Canada (most numerous in the Prairie Provinces, expanding eastward) and most of the US; winters in southern Ontario and British Columbia and farther south. Also native to Europe and Asia.
Sources
Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.
- BIOLOGICALMallard — Guide to North American Birds
National Audubon Society · reviewed 2026-09-30
National Audubon Society
- BIOLOGICALMallard — Hinterland Who's Who
Canadian Wildlife Federation / Environment and Climate Change Canada · reviewed 2026-09-30
Canadian Wildlife Federation / Environment and Climate Change Canada