Walking; on; thin ; ice; Duck ; Frozen; bird; lake; two males; glossy green; head; red feet; winter, December; Capestone Park; Medway, Kent; Anas platyrhynchos; wild; wildlife; quack; lakes; ponds;
Description
Mallards are the archetypal and most recognisable ducks. They are found wherever there is water, from rivers and lakes to remote ponds and coastal marshes. It is their adaptablility to all kinds of environment that has brought mallards to towns and parks. The males sport a glossy green head and white neck ring, and what the females lack in colour they make up for in noise. The familiar 'quack' is the call of the female summoning her ducklings. Mallards are the ancestors of many breeds of domestic duck and readily interbreed with them. Scientific name: Anas platyrhynchos Rank: Species Common names:Wild duck
Mallard; Duck; frozen; winter; wild life; bird; rob weaver; long body; green head; yellow bill; beak; female brown; Capstone Park; Kent; Medway;
Description
The mallard is a large and heavy looking duck. It has a long body and a long and broad bill. The male has a dark green head, a yellow bill, is mainly purple-brown on the breast and grey on the body. The female is mainly brown with an orange bill. It breeds in all parts of the UK in summer and winter, wherever there are suitable wetland habitats, although it is scarcer in upland areas. Mallards in the UK may be resident breeders or migrants - many of the birds that breed in Iceland and northern Europe spend the winter here.
FROZEN POND; ICE; SNOW; WINTER; DECEMBER 2010; WINTER LANDSCAPE; ICY WATER; TREES; TREES IN WINTER; SNOW ON TREES; PARC GWEPRA; WEPRE PARK; CONNAHS QUAY; DEESIDE; SIR Y FFLINT; FLINTSHIRE; GOGLEDD CYMRU; NORTH WALES; WOODLAND; NATURE; WATER; FROZEN WATER; OVERCAST DAY;
The commonest and best known of all our duck, the mallard is a superb table bird, especially early in the season. The male has an iridescent bottle-green head and neck, separated from its chestnut breast by a narrow white neck ring. The underbody and wing coverts are predominantly grey with the characteristic white-edged, blue-purple speculum being a striking feature. Tail coverts are black with the four central feathers upturned. A greenish-yellow bill and orange legs complete the familiar picture. The female mallard is a much less colourful bird of mottled brown and paler underparts. Her bill is orange and the legs are somewhat weaker in colour than those of the drake but the iridescent speculum is common to both sexes. Juveniles and the male in eclipse plumage are similar in general appearance to the female. The mallard has a strong, fairly fast, level flight with rapid wing beats. It is one of the largest duck. The drake is normally silent in flight while the female emits the familiar low "quack".
The commonest and best known of all our duck, the mallard is a superb table bird, especially early in the season. The male has an iridescent bottle-green head and neck, separated from its chestnut breast by a narrow white neck ring. The underbody and wing coverts are predominantly grey with the characteristic white-edged, blue-purple speculum being a striking feature. Tail coverts are black with the four central feathers upturned. A greenish-yellow bill and orange legs complete the familiar picture. The female mallard is a much less colourful bird of mottled brown and paler underparts. Her bill is orange and the legs are somewhat weaker in colour than those of the drake but the iridescent speculum is common to both sexes. Juveniles and the male in eclipse plumage are similar in general appearance to the female. The mallard has a strong, fairly fast, level flight with rapid wing beats. It is one of the largest duck. The drake is normally silent in flight while the female emits the familiar low "quack".
UK, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Wales, Brecon Beacons National Park, Mynydd Illtyd Common, Pond, Frozen, Ice, Winter, Snow, Sunny Day, Blue Sky, Central Brecon Beacons Winter Landscape, Cold, Winters Day,
Mallards on River Aire, Shipley, Leeds; Mallard; (Anas platyrhynchos); male and female; line astern; swimming; surface; water; wake; river bank; foliage; riverside; hen; drake; common; duck; feathers; mating pair; paddling; water
snowy snow snowfall cold weather scene winter wonderland bird birds wildlife ducks nature lake chill chilly ice icey frozen lake standing on freezing event one leg Dunorlan Park Tunbridge Wells Kent England UK United Kingdom
Description
Birds standing on one leg on the frozen boating lake at Dunorlan Park in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, following heavy snowfall in February 2009.
