The Mallard Anas Platyrhynchos, Female With Chicks. Royalty-Free Stock Photo

The mallard Anas platyrhynchos, This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae. The male birds drakes have a glossy green head and are grey on their wings and belly, while the females hens or ducks have mainly brown-speckled plumage. Both sexes have an area of white-bordered black or iridescent blue feathers called a speculum on their wings; males especially tend to have blue speculum feathers. The ducklings are precocial and fully capable of swimming as soon as they hatch. The wild mallard is the ancestor of most domestic ducks, and its naturally evolved wild gene pool gets genetically polluted by the domesticated and feral mallard populations.