Mallard ducklings stay with the hen until they can fly at roughly two months old. In late summer, after the brood has become independent, the adults will molt, making them flightless for a period of time.
It takes 50-70 days for ducklings to attain flight status, and survival during this period is highly variable, ranging from less than 10 percent to as high as 70 percent.
On average, mallard ducks lay around 12 eggs in a clutch. Of these, around 10 will hatch. Only two chicks will survive until adulthood.
Unlike songbirds, baby ducks and geese leave the nest almost immediately after birth, and will follow their mom closely. They already know how to find their own food, but still need their families for warmth and protection.
She will usually return within a half-hour if the area has become quiet again and the threat is gone. She is very protective of her babies and will not go far or stay away for very long. If the mother does not return to her babies within 1-hour, the ducklings should be rescued and brought to Wildlife Rescue.
Mallards eat a variety of natural and human-produced foods including: seeds of bulrushes, pondweeds, millet, sedges, smartweed and wild rice; stems, leaves and tubers of many aquatic plants; and acorns.
The female Mallard has between five and 14 light green eggs that she incubates for 30 days.
The ducklings are lead to water as soon as their soft, downy feathers are dry. ...
Most Mallard ducks live for one or two years, but some can live as long as 16 years!
Mallards swim with their tail held above the water.
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