BIOLOGICAL DATA AND HABITAT REQUIREMENTS
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Anas platyrynchos | Mallard 



TIMING OF MAJOR LIFE HISTORY EVENTS : 
Pair formation- mostly complete by autumn but can continue into winter;
                typically monogamous.
Breeding/Nesting- March through June.
Clutch- 5 to 14 eggs; young birds lay smaller clutches; may renest if
        original clutch is destroyed.
Incubation- 26 days.
Fledge- 8 weeks.
Maturity- 1 year. 
[2,12,15]


PREFERRED HABITAT : 
Mallards prefer lowland habitat such as marshes, ponds, small lakes,
sheltered coastal bays and estuaries, shallow pools, tidal flats, and
protected coves [12,15].  They also graze in stubble fields and inhabit
low-elevation mountain lakes and streams.  Mallards primarily nest in
grasslands away from the water's edge but have been known to use old
bird nests, tree cavities, rights-of-way, and meadows with woody
vegetation [2].


COVER REQUIREMENTS : 
Mallards are very adaptable and appear to have only a few specific
requirements.  They need enough dry ground away from the water's edge
for nesting yet plenty of pond area for feeding [2,17].  Also, mallards
need the previous year's dead vegetation for nests [15].


FOOD HABITS : 
Mallards eat a variety of aquatic plants and invertebrates as well as
crops.  Foods include duckweeds (Lemna spp, Spirodela spp.), smartweeds
(Polygonum spp.), grasses (Poaceae), sedges (Carex spp.), pondweeds
(Potamogeton spp.), rice-cutgrass (Leersia oryzoides), arrowhead
(Sagittaria latifolia), wild millet (Echinochloa spp.), crustaceans,
worms, snails, spiders, corn, and soybeans [7,12,15].  Acorns in
bottomland hardwood types are also important food [14].


PREDATORS : 
Predators of mallard include humans, cats, dogs, raccoon, opossum;
skunks, weasels, martens; eagles, hawks; crows, ravens, magpies; and
turtles, snakes, and fish [13,15].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Recruitment of mallards in the prairie pothole region of North America
is low even during years of high rainfall and runoff.  Wetland density
may be a limiting factor in nesting success, although evidence is
inconclusive [16].  The creation and restoration of wetlands can
increase wetland densities where low.

Setting numerical goals for local populations may be futile due to
regional and continental population shifts from habitat changes.
Instead, measurement of recruitment parameters at the local level can be
used with population models to predict population changes independent of
breeding size population [2].

Mallards are susceptible to diseases in urban settings.  Food poisoning
is especially common in stagnant park ponds where bacteria builds up
from heat and where bread is fed to ducks by people [4].

Bottomland oak forests serve as important feeding and wintering areas
for ducks.  Creating uneven-aged canopies by selection cuts and small
clearcuts (0.5 ha or larger) is adequate for maintaining and
regenerating oak stands [14].  Reservoirs in these areas should be
flooded beginning in mid-September and continued through October.
Drawdown should begin in mid-February.  Following years of good acorn
production, wetland flooding should be withheld for 2 to 3 years so the
understory can establish [14].


REFERENCES : 
NO-ENTRY

Related categories for Wildlife Species: Anas platyrynchos | Mallard