Wildlife Wednesday – The Mallard

Welcome back to Wildlife Wednesday from your Ohio Division of Wildlife! Today we are spotlighting a familiar visitor in many of our ponds and lakes – the Mallard.
The mallard is a large duck with a stocky body. It is readily identified by its highly iridescent speculum, or wing patch, that is bordered with black and white stripes. It has a whitish tail extending from a glossy black rump; its tail feathers curl up at the tip of the tail. The body is a mixture of chestnut brown and gray feathers. Its bill is yellow and feet are orange. In flight, there is a flash of white in its underwings. As with most ducks, the female of this species has a drab appearance compared to the male. The female mallard is a uniform light brown, but has the distinctive speculum identical to the male.
Information courtesy of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources