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Mallard and ducklings

Anas platyrhynchos

A mother mallard with a line of fluffy ducklings paddling along behind her.

Size
Adults about 58cm long
Look for them
March to July
Where
Ponds, lakes, rivers and park waters

My spotter's list

Mum leads and the ducklings paddle after you in a line. Move your pointer and see.

When to look

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Ducklings

Good to know

Six things about ducklings

Following

Follow mum

Ducklings learn to follow their mother within hours of hatching. It's called imprinting.

Hatching

Out of the nest fast

Within a day of hatching, the ducklings leave the nest and head for the water.

Colour

Who's who

Male mallards have a green head; females are speckled brown. Both have a blue patch on the wing.

Waterproof

Keeping dry

Ducks spread oil from a gland near their tail over their feathers to keep them waterproof.

Food

Not bread

Bread isn't good for ducks. Peas, sweetcorn and oats are much better if you want to feed them.

Feeding

Bottoms up

Mallards are "dabbling" ducks: they tip upside down to reach food under the water.

The real thing

Photos of ducklings

Mallard and ducklings, photo 1
Photo: Mykola Swarnyk, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Mallard and ducklings, photo 2
Photo: Quartl, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Mallard and ducklings, photo 3
Photo: Paul Danese, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Out and about

How to spot them

Visit a park lake, canal or river from March to July. Watch the edges, where a mother will lead her brood in a line between the reeds.

Lend a hand

How to help

If you feed ducks, offer peas, sweetcorn or oats, not bread. Keep dogs on leads near water in spring.

Keep going

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