Mallard

Origin:  Northern Hemisphere, Australian stock of English origin

Category:  Heavy Duck

Egg Colour:  Variety

Sitter:  Yes

The Mallard is the ancestor of most of the modern domestic duck breeds, with the exception of the Muscovy, and was domesticated comparatively late.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

Carriage: Close to horizontal body carriage.

Type: Mallards have elegantly streamlined yet broad and deep bodies, free of paunchiness. The breast is plump and rounded. Underbody is long and curved. Top of the body slightly curved with convex at centre and a falling away from slope of back, giving a somewhat elliptical shape reminiscent of an Australian Rules football. Moderately long, strong wings reach nearly to the end of the tail and are carried high, folded close to the body. Tail, fairly spread, carried slightly high, giving an impression of extended body length.

Head: Game aerodynamic head on a slightly arched, slender neck that can telescope to surprising lengths. The head is more rounded in the female than in the male, having a steeper rise from bill to crown. Bill, long, slender with a slightly concave topline - slightly shorter in length in the female than in the male. Eyes in the front half of the head.

Legs of moderate length under the centre of the body, resulting in horizontal carriage.

Tight in plumage.

COLOUR

NORMAL

Drake:

The general colour should be pencilled drab grey, produced by fine dark lines on white; the breast purplish-brown extending well down with edges clean as possible and minimum of foreign colour. The flank and abdomen is pale grey with fine dark lines giving an impression of grey. A narrow white band separates the flank from the tail at the juncture of the steel gray and black at the tail of the male. The back is dark brown with the dark brown shading to black in the tail. Tail colour is white to pale grey, with velvety black feathers in the centre.

Wings, dark brown primary feathers with a broad purplish/steel-blue speculum bar edged with a black band and white edging fore and aft. Mangle and wing coverts are brownish-grey.

The head of the drake is a brilliant metallic green. A distinct narrow white neck ring (collar) separates the green neck from the breast, not meeting behind. The bill is yellowish green.

The legs, feet and webs should be bright orange.

Duck:

The duck to match should have a head and upper neck that is dark brown streaked with buff. It has a dark brown stripe through the eye with light fawn on either side of the stripe. Under the bill the throat is a plain buff colour.

Female: The duck has intricately pencilled body plumage. The main body feathers are a light brown with darker brown mottles and v-shaped markings on them.

Breast: pale warm fawn with streaks of dark brown along shaft. Abdomen similar markings however slightly lighter and less clear.

Tail: Quite pale even whitish, with dark mottling and barring.

Wings: pale brown primaries; a purplish-blue speculum as in the male, with a narrow dark brown band and a white edging on for and aft. Upper coverts: grey tinged brown. Dark brown laced buff brown scapulars.

Bill: greeny-brown with broad orange tip and a black bean.

Eyes: dark brown.

Legs and webs: Yellowish orange - duller than that of the drake.

BLUE FAWN

BROWN

DUSKY

FAWN

LACED FAWN

SILVER

YELLOW BILLED WHITE

Plumage white throughout for both male and female.

Bill: yellow - darker yellow in the male and slightly lighter in female.

Eyes: leaden blue.

Legs and webs: light orange.

WHITE BILLED WHITE

Plumage white throughout for both male and female.

Bill: flesh coloured, sometimes described as pinkish-white.

Eyes: leaden blue.

Legs and webs: light orange.

SIZE

Heaviest class of Mallards (the old males) - 40 ounces which is just 10 ounces above that established for the Call old males.

SCALE OF POINTS

SERIOUS DEFECTS

• Any dark coloured marks in bill or coloured feathers in White varieties

See Disqualifications

SOURCES

• Fancy Waterfowl by Frank Finn published by The Feathered Word in 1900. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100424127

• Accorn Hollow Bantams. http://www.acornhollowbantams.com/waterfowl_basics.cfm?id=85

• Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks, 2nd Edition: Breeds, Care, Health By Dave Holderread

• Grow, O. (1956). Universal waterfowl standard and judging guide. Milwaukee: American Waterfowl Assoc., inc.

• Australian Poultry Standards 2nd edition