After the breeding season, male mallards enter a period of eclipse plumage when they are molting their old feathers. When their primaries are falling off, they are largely flightless, and become recluses until they grow back. Male mallard’s secondaries are a beautiful purple-blue colour, which glints in the light. It’s quite a shame that when the duck is not spreading its wings, none of these incandescent secondaries are visible (apart from a small patch when resting on water). Its breast is a rich, mottled, dark, compost brown colour which always reminds me of chocolate pudding…
But my favourite part of a male mallard has to be the head: a dazzling green, like the green of a poison bottle in a ‘30s murder mystery. That deep green with a magical sheen to it, not reflecting but absorbing the light. I love it, and my gaze is always drawn to the head of the mallard. Not only this but the shape I love too – perfectly curved with a lovely, stylish dip before the cranium and a smooth flow down to the tip off the glorious, dull yellow beak. It’s just a shame duck is so tasty…
Females, at first blush, are not as impressive as their male counterparts. With their mottled drab brown plumage they don’t seem to be too fashionable. But, like the males, they sport iridescent purple-blue secondaries which (unlike the male) are visible as a patch on their flanks whilst sitting. This ‘flash’ is all the more distinctive, and I think more beautiful) than the males. They grow to about 26 inches (65 centimetres) in length and can weigh up to 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms).
flight and feathers
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DID YOU KNOW
Scoring a duck in cricket reflects the fact that the 0 on the score sheet resembles the shape of a Mallard's egg.