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Female mallards (hens) are primarily brown and mottled for camouflage, are responsible for building the nest and raising the young, and have a loud, quacking call. They lay 5 to 14 eggs, which they incubate for about 28-30 days before leading the mobile ducklings to water once they dry off.
Females are mottled brown with an orange bill, which helps them blend in with their surroundings.
Unlike the males, they do not have a bright green head or a white collar.
Both sexes have iridescent blue-purple speculum feathers edged with white on their wings, which are prominent in flight.
The female builds a shallow, ground-level nest by pulling nearby vegetation towards her and lining it with grasses, leaves, and down from her own breast.
She lays between 5 and 14 eggs, usually about nine to thirteen.
The eggs are incubated for approximately 28 to 30 days.
Ducklings are mobile and able to feed themselves soon after hatching, but the female guides them to food sources.
She leads them to water once their downy feathers are dry, which happens about 10 hours after hatching.
A key reason females lay so many eggs is that not all chicks are expected to survive to maturity.
They will stay with their mother for about two months before they are able to fly.
Only the female mallard makes the classic, loud quacking sound; the male makes a quieter, rasping sound.
During a period of vulnerability after breeding, both sexes molt their flight feathers and are temporarily flightless.
Female mallards, like other dabbling ducks, are omnivores, eating both plants and small invertebrates.
