8-5-2019 OLIVA MARJAL, VALENCIA - MALLARD (JUVENILE) (Anas platyrhynchos)

Mallard ducklings are "precocial," meaning they can walk, swim, and find their own food shortly after hatching, though the mother provides guidance and protection. The female builds the nest and incubates the five to 14 eggs for about 27-30 days, while the male leaves after a few days. Ducklings fledge (are able to fly) in 50 to 60 days and stay with their mother for around 42 to 60 days. 

Hatching and early life 

Precocious and mobile: Ducklings are born with downy feathers, alert, and can leave the nest within 12 to 16 hours of hatching.

Follow the leader: Once dry, the female leads the ducklings to water to begin their lives of swimming and feeding.

Independent but protected: While they can find their own food, they rely on their mother for protection, guidance to safe habitats, and waterproofing.

Fledging: The ducklings are able to fly approximately 50 to 60 days after hatching. 

Parenting and nesting 

Female's role: The female builds the nest, incubates the eggs, and raises the young entirely on her own.

Male's role: After a short period of guarding the female during the initial stages of incubation, the male leaves to be with other males.

Nest and eggs: Nests are typically a shallow bowl of grass on the ground, often lined with down. The female lays five to 14 eggs, which take 27-30 days to incubate.

Re-nesting: If a nest is destroyed, a female will re-nest, but she will likely lay fewer eggs in the second nest.