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Expedition 🇺🇸 United States

Mallard in United States

The green-headed duck of every park pond — a familiar waterbird and ancestor of nearly all domestic ducks.

Mallard

The species

The mallard is the most familiar duck on Earth — and the wild ancestor of almost every domestic duck breed. Males in breeding plumage carry an unmistakable glossy green head, white collar, and chestnut breast; females are elegantly mottled brown, built for camouflage on the nest.

Habitat in United States

Mallards inhabit ponds, rivers, lakes, marshes, and estuaries across the Northern Hemisphere and have been introduced worldwide. They favour slow-moving freshwater with vegetated edges for nesting, but adapt readily to urban park lakes, canals, and flooded gravel pits.

Where to spot one

  • Central Park

    New York City

    Urban ponds for mallards, pigeons on the paths, and sparrows in every shrub — a compact starter loop in Manhattan.

  • Golden Gate Park

    San Francisco

    Lakes, meadows, and tree cover where common birds and park wildlife turn an afternoon stroll into a discovery session.

  • Suburban Park Systems

    Nationwide

    Local green spaces across the US — pond edges, playground perimeters, and dog-walking trails where the everyday species gather.

  • Neighbourhood Streets

    Nationwide

    Front gardens, fence lines, and café patios — where house cats watch from walls and sparrows squabble over crumbs.

Conservation status

LC — Least Concern

Mallards are Least Concern with a vast and expanding global range. Hunting regulation, wetland protection, and the species' adaptability to human-modified landscapes have kept populations healthy across most of their range.

Keep exploring

Keep exploring

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