15 facts about hummingbirds
Hummingbirds first appeared on Earth about 22 million years ago in South America. To this day, they live exclusively in the intertropical zone of the ...
The common mallard is the most popular game bird in Central Europe, i.e. Poland. It is very numerous and easily inhabits various environments to which it adapts perfectly. Even though hunters eagerly and often hunt this species, it is not afraid of people and does not shy away from their company often coming up to insignificant distances (in the hope of feeding). Be sure not to feed these birds with bread, as such a diet can lead to a fatal condition in adult ducks - angel wing.
They occur in northern regions of North America, Greenland, northern Europe, and central Asia as far north as Kamchatka. Year-round it is found in the US, western Europe, Turkey, Kazakhstan, China, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and northern Iran.
It winters in the southern US, in Mexico to Cuba, along the Nile River in Egypt and Sudan, in India and Pakistan and Japan.
They can be found in both the Tundra and subtropical areas, in both fresh and brackish waters. They prefer shallow waters, covered with aquatic vegetation, in which the bottom is less than one meter deep.
In some regions of the world, it is considered an invasive species, capable of displacing more vulnerable species of waterfowl.
There are more than 300 breeds of these birds. They are bred for eggs, feathers, and meat but also as ornamental animals. The first documented cases of 4.000.000 years of domestication come from Southeast Asia. They were also bred in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, but were not domesticated there. To prevent them from escaping, they are trained to know how to return home or have their wings clipped.
The plumage color is creamy brown with a lighter throat. Through the eye is an orange-colored beak with black spots. The male has a yellow beak, rust-colored breast, and black supernumerary lids.
The head takes on an iridescent green color, which is separated from the rest of the brown-steel body by a narrow white band. The breast is brown and also iridescent. The helms are white-gray except for the two middle ones, which are black.
It was also introduced to New Caledonia but the population there has died out. Due to its migratory nature, it can be found in the Caribbean.
Body length ranges from 50 to 65 cm and wingspan is 81 to 98 cm. The weight of adults is between 0.7 and 1.6 kg.
The main part of the mallard's diet consists of snails, beetles, dragonflies and flies, earthworms, crustaceans, and aquatic vegetation. During the breeding, migratory, and winter seasons, almost ⅔ of their diet is plant food.
They usually form monogamous pairs but males can also interbreed with other females.
They build them mostly of grass and pad them with feathers.
They are light cream and measure 58 x 32 mm. They are laid every other day and the female begins to brood them when almost all are laid. The young hatch after about 28 days and remain sub-adults for another 50 to 60.
They remain close to their mother, however, and begin to be independent after about 2 months. They reach sexual maturity at 14 months of age.
There are between 900.000 and 1,2 million during the breeding season. The mallard is probably the most numerous duck species.
The oldest documented age of these birds is 29 years.
They are also subject to hunting; in Poland, the mallard hunting season runs from September 1 to December 31.
They are most often prepared by stewing or roasting, accompanied by sweet accompaniments such as apples, pears, or cranberries.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the common mallard as a species of least concern.
