This week’s Bird of the Week, compliments of the Weminuche Audubon Society and Audubon Rockies, is the mallard.
Brrrrrr: Resting on the ice or swimming in frigid water, some mallards will stay the winter as long as we have open water. They are found in almost any wetland habitat including marshes, lakes, rivers and ponds. Where snowmelt fills ephemeral streams and ground depressions in spring, mallards can be found paddling along and skimming the surface for food.
The mallard is the world’s most recognizable duck species and the most abundant duck in North America. In part, their widespread range has resulted from the release of captive-raised birds in places where they were not historically found.
Mallards are so common that often their beauty is overlooked. The male (drake) in breeding plumage has an iridescent green head which appears blue in some light and is separated from his dark chest and grey body by a white collar. He has an olive-yellow bill and curved black tail feathers. Both sexes have orange legs and feet, and iridescent blue wing patches visible in flight.
Females, or hens, are streaked brown and have orange bills with black splotches. It is the female who makes the quacking call we associate with ducks. When one starts up, others in the flock often join in. Male calls are shorter and softer. Unhatched birds produce a variety of sounds and learn the mother’s call while still in the egg.
An additional factor in this bird’s success is its omnivorous and flexible feeding style. In water it is often seen tipped up, grazing on aquatic plants or rooting along the bottom for tubers or insect larvae. But, it also feeds on land for insects, worms, snails, bird seed and grain crops. They have adapted well to living in close proximity to people and in cities have even been found nesting in planters, backyard brush piles and rooftops.
This weekend community members will join the Weminuche Audubon chapter in conducting the Christmas Bird Count in Pagosa Springs. Historically, mallards are among the most numerous of waterfowl that we count.
For information on events, visit www.weminucheaudubon.org and www.facebook.com/weminucheaudubon/.
