birdsoup

Mallards are the House Sparrows of the waterfowl world.  Wherever there is even a tiny puddle of water, there are Mallards.  They are so common, we tend to overlook them.  However, unlike sparrows, the male Mallard is actually a fairly handsome fellow and the female has a certain amount of under-stated elegance.

The name “Mallard” comes from an old French term for masculinity, with the pejorative suffix “-ard” added as in dullard, drunkard, or sluggard.

The male is very promiscuous and will attempt to mate with almost any duck species.  That is why you see so many Mallard hybrids.  It is said that the male can’t actually recognize the female of its own species, so mate selection is the responsibility of the female.     One study found that almost half of all Mallard broods are fathered by more than one male.  So a string of Mallard ducklings all in a row they are as likely to be half-brothers or sisters as full-blooded siblings.