Male Mallard -- Spring

Who doesn’t recognize a male mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) when they see one? After all, mallards live on every continent but Antarctica, and their glossy green heads and necks and yellow bills are so distinctive. However, the female is less colourful and therefore not as recognizable. She’s a dull, mottled brown with an orange bill.

Common, yes, but it’s still a joy to see the first mallards each spring -- it usually means the ice is melting on the ponds and lakes. This solitary mallard has found a small hole in the ice, Brrrr. How can he swim when the temperature is below freezing?

Adaptable (or maybe not fussy?), they’ll nest just about anywhere there’s water. They prefer grasslands, which is why so many breed in the Prairie Provinces (Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta), but more than a few have been known to waddle with their brood across Canadian city streets, stopping traffic.