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Anas platyrhynchos
The female Mallard is a mottled light brown, like most female dabbling ducks, and has buff cheeks, eyebrow, throat and neck with a darker crown and eye-stripe. However, both the female and male Mallards have distinct purple speculum edged with white, prominent in flight or at rest (though temporarily shed during the annual summer moult)
The Mallard is widely distributed across the Northern Hemisphere, North America from southern and central Alaska to Mexico, the Hawaiian Islands, and across Eurasia, from Iceland and southern Greenland and parts of Morocco (North Africa) in the west, Scandinavia to the north, and to Siberia, Japan, and China in the east. It is strongly migratory in the northern parts of its breeding range, and winters farther south. For example, in North America it winters south to Mexico, but also regularly strays into Central America and the Caribbean between September and May. The Mallard inhabits a wide range of habitat and climates, from Arctic Tundra to subtropical regions. It is found in both fresh- and salt water wetlands, including parks, small ponds, rivers, lakes and estuaries, as well as shallow inlets and open sea within sight of the coastline. Water depths of less than 1 metre (3.3 ft) are preferred, birds avoiding areas more than a few metres deep. They are attracted to bodies of water with aquatic vegetation.
spotted in porto city park
6 Comments
:) thanks my friend,we are using a new camera from a friend,and the details are in closeup mode are much better,tahnks
Beautiful close-up shot!
Thanks again,i'am going to follow these ones regulary,it's a place where i pass many times,so i can spott them in other prismas and age,i presume they are not juvenil but young hens
Yes, a couple of Mallard hens. There are no other species regularly found in your area that are so large with white tails and the eyestripe. These ones look to have some domestic in them, though. I suspect the Khaki Campbell breed.
Thanks Emma,it was because of the absence of the blue speculum and the respective withe border that i have not sure
Beautiful picture of a Female.
i suspect it is a female Mallard judging by the supercillium. That is the dark line thru the eye.
But, My main way of judging is by the two white bands that border a blue speculum. I cannot see that in the picture.We shall have to wait for Liam.
Lovely bird