Mallard/Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com

The mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Falkland Islands, and South Africa.
The mallard is considered to be a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Unlike many waterfowl, mallards are considered an invasive species in some regions. 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. The non-migratory mallard interbreeds with indigenous wild ducks of closely related species through genetic pollution by producing fertile offspring. Complete hybridisation of various species of wild duck gene pools could result in the extinction of many indigenous waterfowl. The wild mallard is the ancestor of most domestic ducks, and its naturally evolved wild gene pool gets genetically polluted by the domestic and feral mallard populations.

The breeding male mallard is unmistakable, with a glossy bottle-green head and a white collar that demarcates the head from the purple-tinged brown breast, grey-brown wings, and a pale grey belly. The rear of the male is black, with white-bordered dark tail feathers. The bill of the male is a yellowish-orange tipped with black, with that of the female generally darker and ranging from black to mottled orange and brown. The female mallard is predominantly mottled, with each individual feather showing sharp contrast from buff to very dark brown, a coloration shared by most female dabbling ducks, and has buff cheeks, eyebrow, throat, and neck, with a darker crown and eye-stripe. (wikipedia)

This pair of Mallard were photographed at a scrape at Turvey Nature Park, Rogerstown, Co. Dublin.

Taken in: Ireland / Leinster / Donabate (show map)

Taken on: December 19, 2021

Tags:

500mm

Anas

Birds of Ireland

Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide

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Sets appears in: • Birds of Ireland

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Camera: Canon EOS 7D Mark II, f/8.0, 1/640 sec, 700mm, ISO 2500 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Lens:	EF500mm f/4L IS USM +1.4x III
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	0.002 sec (1/640)
Focal Length:	700mm
ISO:	2500
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Spot
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Capture One 21 Macintosh
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