Domestic Duck, Manky Mallard

Domestic duck are all descended from the Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos.. There are now many named varieties, including the Khaki Campbell

The Manky Mallard is a species of the domesticated Wild Mallard.
Drakes engage in behaviour unique in the waterfowl world.

A few days after the female begins incubation, the drake leaves its breeding partner and joins up in gangs. If they come upon a female all of them forcibly mate with it. A big group may take so long that the exhausted female drowns. These gang rapes account for up to a fifth of all egg fertilisations, and females caring for broods are seldom attacked. Mallards are the most successful dabbling ducks, evolving in northern hemisphere habitats that were already dominated by agriculture, so they are at ease in farming enviroments. New Zealand flocks have expanded remarkably since the 1930's when acclimiatisation societies introduced American birds for ... read morebreeding programmes, and liberated their captive-reared progeny - now in the millions - and making up a greater percent of the dabbling duck population. In many districts the Mallard has taken over the endemic grey duck. It is commonly seen on salty or brackish water, and has been slow to take to inland rivers and streams where the grey duck is still predominant. Mallard have little use for deep waters except to rest on or to take refuge in duckshooting season. Most breed when one year old, having paired in June after elaborate mate selection displays. The breeding season is September to December, and nest sites maybe under logs, haystacks or buildings, but are more commonly in pasture grasses or under bushes. The female pushes and wriggles breaking down protruberances and rough grass to form a bowl, where she lays about 13 buff-green eggs - one a day soon after dawn. Incubation by the female alone takes 27 days. The male defends a water territory for the first few days, and the female leaves the nest to feed for two short periods each day. The female, which has sole charge, leads the ducklings to water within a few hours of hatching. They fledge in 8 to 10 weeks. Protein is the main diet of pre-breeding birds and ducklings - aquatic invertebrates being preferred. They eat the seeds of pond-edged plants, the fruits of many aquatic plants, ripening grain crops, pasture grasses when flooded, along with drowned worms and insects. Mallard often take to city lakes, ponds and streams, often feeding from the hand. Probably no other waterfowl is as tolerant of people, though as a game bird it is extremely wary demanding good concealment, skilful calling, and the most life-like decoys. Birds that survive their first year live an average of 3 more years. The oldest bird recovered so far was 14. The male's head is glossy green with other coloured body and wing feathers in contrast to the speckled browns of the female. The female calls a raucous quaaack, quaaack, quaaack while the male's call is a softer raeb, raeb, raeb.