![]() ![]() This is quite unusual among such different species, and is apparently because the mallard evolved very rapidly and recently, during the Late Pleistocene. Mallards frequently interbreed with their closest relatives in the genus Anas, such as the American black duck, and also with species more distantly related, such as the northern pintail, leading to various hybrids that may be fully fertile. Masle (male) has also been proposed as an influence. It may be related to, or at least influenced by, an Old High German masculine proper name, clues lying in the alternate English forms "maudelard" or "mawdelard". It was derived from the Old French or for "wild drake" although its true derivation is unclear. The name Mallard originally referred to any wild drake, and it is sometimes still used this way. The genome of Anas platyrhynchos was sequenced in 2013. The scientific name comes from Latin Anas, "duck" and Ancient Greek πλατυρυγχος, platyrhynchus, "broad-billed" (from πλατύς, platys, "broad" and ρυγχός, rhunkhos, "bill"). The latter was generally preferred until 1906 when Einar Lönnberg established that A.platyrhynchos had priority, as it appeared on an earlier page in the text. ![]() He gave it two binomial names: Anas platyrhynchos and Anas boschas. The mallard was one of the many bird species originally described in the 1758 10thedition of Systema Naturae by Carl Linnaeus. 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. Complete hybridisation of various species of wild duck gene pools could result in the extinction of many indigenous waterfowl. The non-migratory mallard interbreeds with indigenous wild ducks of closely related species through genetic pollution by producing fertile offspring. It is a very adaptable species, being able to live and even thrive in urban areas which may have supported more localised, sensitive species of waterfowl before development. Unlike many waterfowl, mallards are considered an invasive species in some regions. The mallard is considered to be a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The ducklings are precocial and fully capable of swimming as soon as they hatch. Incubation takes 27 to 28 days and fledging takes 50 to 60 days. The female lays eight to thirteen creamy white to greenish-buff spotless eggs, on alternate days. This species is the main ancestor of most breeds of domesticated ducks. Mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are social animals preferring to congregate in groups or flocks of varying sizes. It is often slightly heavier than most other dabbling ducks, weighing 0.72 – 1.58 kg abbr=on lb. The wingspan is 81 – 98 cm abbr=on in and the bill is 4.4 to 6.1 cm abbr=on in long. The mallard is 50 – 65 cm abbr=on in long, of which the body makes up around two-thirds the length. 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 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. This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae. The mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurosiberia, and North Africa and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Falkland Islands, and South Africa. Khao Yai - 1-day wildlife tour with night safari. ![]() Erawan Falls, Sai Yok NP & more - 2D/1N raft house.Erawan Falls, Hellfire Pass & historical sites.Doi Inthanon & Doi Suthep - 2-days tour. ![]()
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