Least ConcernMallard
Anas platyrhynchos
53 countries207 parks
Species group · Birds
WAnimals has 3 species of dabbling duck, in the family Anatidae.
Ranges calculated from the profiles that record the figure, not from all 3.
Each one has its own full profile. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.
No species documented in this group is genuinely at risk according to the IUCN, with the data available today.
Recorded in 82 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:
It is the wild ancestor of almost every domestic duck breed in the world.
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It can swim the day it hatches, led to the water by its mother.
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Its readiness to hybridise with other ducks is a worry because of the genetic dilution of related species.
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An unassuming grey duck that steals food from coots and grebes.
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Its epithet strepera means "noisy" in Late Latin.
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Its closest relative is the falcated duck, and both are related to the wigeons, which is why all three were separated from Anas and moved into the genus Mareca.
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Its European population is going two opposite ways: it is falling as a breeder and rising as a winter visitor, a mismatch uncommon among ducks.
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It is especially prone to lead poisoning from swallowing lead shot, because it tends to take in large grit stones for grinding seeds.
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