Mallard Anas platyrhynchos (wild-type)

Domesticated Mallards, including those in the wild with some domestic ancestry, are dealt with separately here - only birds that show little or no sign of domestic ancestry are dealt with on this page. However, as some domestic birds resemble their wild ancestors, and wild and domestic birds interbreed freely, it is very likely that some of the birds shown here do have some domestic ancestry. Some anomalies from typical Mallard that are frequently found in domestic Mallards could appear naturally among wild Mallards without any introgression from birds of domestic ancestry, so whilst it is tempting to assume that a Mallard with white primaries (for example) has domestic Mallard ancestry, this is not necessarily the case (though probably is).

Mallards, Salthouse (Norfolk, UK), 16th April 2011

Mallard, North Elmham railway (Norfolk, UK), 9th March 2022

Mallard, Felbrigg Lake (Norfolk, UK), 24th July 2010

Mallards, Salthouse (Norfolk, UK), 12th March 2011

Mallard, Salthouse (Norfolk, UK), 14th July 2001

Mallard, Salthouse (Norfolk, UK), 16th April 2011

Mallard, Salthouse (Norfolk, UK), 21st May 2004

Mallard, Salthouse (Norfolk, UK), 27th September 2007

Mallards, Whitlingham (Norfolk, UK), 1st July 2011

Mallards, Seahouses (Northumberland, UK), 5th February 2023

Mallards, Welney (Norfolk, UK), 10th January 2015

Mallards, Leathes Ham, Lowestoft (Suffolk, UK), 8th April 2012

Mallard, Salthouse (Norfolk, UK), 28th February 2004

Mallard, Burnham Overy (Norfolk, UK), 1st August 2015

Intersex birds often crop up but are usually overlooked, and are only ever likely to be detected in species that are strongly sexually dimorphic (i.e. where males and females look very different). The following bird has female bare parts, and is therefore a female, but has begun to develop male-like plumage. This is the typical appearance of intersex female Mallards, incompletely male-like plumage but a black-and-orange bill. They are often passed off as young males, and sometimes misidentified as hybrids.

intersex female Mallard, Blakeney Quayside collection (Norfolk, UK), 15th January 2022

More intersex birds follow:

intersex female Mallard, Wendling Beck Project (Norfolk, UK), 11th April 2025

intersex female Mallard, Rawhall gravel pits, near Bittering (Norfolk, UK), 26th December 2013

intersex female Mallard, Bintree Mill (Norfolk, UK), 23rd April 2009

Mallards, Burnham Overy (Norfolk, UK), 28th January 2017

Mallards, Cley (Norfolk, UK), 1st October 2016

Mallard, Abberton Reservoir (Essex, UK), 21st August 2004

Mallards, Bintree Mill (Norfolk, UK), 8th March 2025

Mallards, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 7th April 2020

Mallards, Cley (Norfolk, UK), 20th May 2009

Mallard, Cley (Norfolk, UK), 22nd December 2016

Mallards, Holkham Park (Norfolk, UK), 25th June 2004

This individual was engaged in a distraction display, pretending to have a broken wing to lead me away from its ducklings.

Mallard, Holkham (Norfolk, UK), 16th May 2009

Mallard, Fressingfield (Suffolk, UK), 1st May 2000

Mallard, Great Ryburgh (Norfolk, UK), 17th April 2017

Mallard, Titchwell (Norfolk, UK), 17th June 2016

Mallard, Titchwell (Norfolk, UK), 5th November 2011

Mallard, Wells (Norfolk, UK), 19th January 2013

Mallard, Low Barns (County Durham, UK), 9th February 2023

Mallard, Haddiscoe (Norfolk, UK), 7th March 2017

Mallards, Minsmere (Suffolk, UK), 9th May 2009

Mallards, Ranworth Broad (Norfolk, UK), 18th January 2017

Mallard, Ranworth (Norfolk, UK), 11th May 2009

Mallards, Salthouse (Norfolk, UK), 28th September 2012

Mallards, Salthouse (Norfolk, UK), 31st March 2000

Mallards, Salthouse (Norfolk, UK), 9th January 2010

Mallards, Great Ryburgh (Norfolk, UK), 9th June 2017

Mallard, Swanton Morley fishing lakes (Norfolk, UK), 1st April 2012

Mallard, Wroxham Broad (Norfolk, UK), 11th May 2009

Mallard, Wroxham Broad (Norfolk, UK), 5th February 2011

Mallards, Wroxham Broad (Norfolk, UK), 17th April 2004

Mallard, Wroxham Broad (Norfolk, UK), 22nd December 2021

Mallard, Salthouse (Norfolk, UK), 12th March 2011

Mallard, Minsmere (Suffolk, UK), 28th September 2004

Mallard, Great Ryburgh (Norfolk, UK), 15th April 2017

Mallard, Sheringham (Norfolk, UK), 23rd September 2004

Mallards, South Creake (Norfolk, UK), 12th June 2008

Mallard, Welney (Norfolk, UK), 2nd January 2005

Mallard, Titchwell (Norfolk, UK), 28th May 2004

Mallards, Titchwell (Norfolk, UK), 9th June 2004

Mallard, Flitcham (Norfolk, UK), 4th June 2008

Mallard, Cley (Norfolk, UK), 10th September 2005

Mallard, Cockshoot Broad (Norfolk, UK), 12th November 2011

Mallards, Wendling Beck Project (Norfolk, UK), 30th August 2024

Mallards, Blakeney Quayside collection (Norfolk, UK), 12th April 2024

Mallard, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 19th April 2019

Mallards, Burnham Overy (Norfolk, UK), 5th June 2015

Mallards, Brancaster Staithe (Norfolk, UK), 31st March 2004

Mallard, Brancaster Staithe (Norfolk, UK), 4th January 2006

Mallard, Burnham Overy (Norfolk, UK), 25th May 2009

Mallards, Caerlaverock (Dumfries & Galloway, UK), 29th December 2005

Mallards, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 28th September 2018

Mallards, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 5th November 2018

Mallard, Elmham Park (Norfolk, UK), 21st March 2022

Mallard, Flitcham (Norfolk, UK), 9th September 2003

Mallard, Flixton (Norfolk, UK), 27th August 2005

Mallards, Hockwold (Norfolk, UK), 25th July 2009

Mallard, Letheringsett (Norfolk, UK), 4th September 1999

Mallards, Great Ryburgh (Norfolk, UK), 23rd May 2017

Mallard, Swanton Morley fishing lakes (Norfolk, UK), 12th January 2008

Mallards, Swanton Morley fishing lakes (Norfolk, UK), 14th October 2007

Mallard, Swanton Morley fishing lakes (Norfolk, UK), 23rd September 2007

Mallards, Swanton Morley fishing lakes (Norfolk, UK), 27th January 2008

Mallard, Swanton Morley fishing lakes (Norfolk, UK), 29th March 2009

Mallard, Swanton Morley fishing lakes (Norfolk, UK), 4th June 2011

Mallard, Titchwell (Norfolk, UK), 19th August 2005

Mallard, Whitlingham (Norfolk, UK), 15th March 2003

Mallard, Whitlingham (Norfolk, UK), 15th March 2003

Mallard, Whitlingham (Norfolk, UK), 16th March 1999

Mallards, West Somerton (Norfolk, UK), 25th April 2009

Mallard, Flitcham (Norfolk, UK), 7th March 2011

Mallard, Swanton Morley fishing lakes (Norfolk, UK), 14th October 2007

Mallard, Swanton Morley fishing lakes (Norfolk, UK), 26th April 2008

Mallards, Swanton Morley fishing lakes (Norfolk, UK), 3rd May 2008