Size: It is 50–65 cm, has a wingspan of 81–98 cm and weighs 0.7–1.6 kg.

Vocalisations: A noisy species, the female has the deep quack stereotypically associated with ducks. Male mallards make a sound phonetically similar to that of the female, a typical quack, but it is deeper and quieter compared to that of the female.

Habitat: The mallard inhabits a wide range of habitats: it is found in both fresh- and salt-water wetlands, including parks, small ponds, rivers, lakes and estuaries, as well as shallow inlets and open sea within sight of the coastline.

Behaviour: The majority of the mallard's diet seems to be made up of gastropods, insects (including beetles, flies, dragonflies), worms, many varieties of seeds and plant matter, and roots and tubers. They arrive to Latvia in March and go southwards in November. There are about 30,000 – 40,000 couples in Latvia.

Interesting facts: Mallards, when snoozing, stand on the leg on the opposite side of the wing under which they hide their head. This is necessary to keep their balance. People often feed mallards. Ornithologists believe that swans and mallards should not be fed by humans at all. Mallards and swans are migratory birds that should fly south in winter, but because people feed them, they are increasingly overwintering in Latvia, especially in cities. The birds get used to being fed very quickly and to such an extent that they do not fly away even if they are in danger of being frozen in ice. Ornithologists agree that white bread is not a healthy and complete food. It should also be taken into account that bread, which is not eaten by birds, pollutes the water and causes it to rot, which in turn causes algae to form, which is deadly for fish. This alga is also harmful to the birds themselves, who often fall ill because of it, while the rotting bread and algae make the water smell. You should also avoid feeding wafers, biscuits, crisps or sweets to the birds – this will do more harm than good! Feed birds with oats, wheat, other cereals, hard-boiled porridge (no sugar!), grated carrots, steamed vegetables such as broccoli or potatoes, maize, salad leaves, spinach. You can also treat mallards with acorns.

Photo: pixabay.com