The domestic duck is a subspecies of mallard that has been domesticated and raised for meat and eggs. A few are kept for show, as pets, or for their ornamental value. Almost all varieties of domesticated ducks, apart from the domestic Muscovy duck, are descended from the mallard, which was domesticated in China around 2000 BC.
Domestic duck
White Pekins are raised for meat.
Muscovy ducks produce a richly-flavoured meat, and are kept as pets.
Indian Runner ducks stand upright, do not fly, and may produce over 300 eggs per year.
The mallard or wild duck is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. It has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Falkland Islands, and South Africa. This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae. Males (drakes) have green heads, while the females (hens) have mainly brown-speckled plumage. Both sexes have an area of white-bordered black or iridescent purple or blue feathers called a speculum on their wings; males especially tend to have blue speculum feathers. The mallard is 50–65 cm (20–26 in) long, of which the body makes up around two-thirds the length. The wingspan is 81–98 cm (32–39 in) and the bill is 4.4 to 6.1 cm long. It is often slightly heavier than most other dabbling ducks, weighing 0.7–1.6 kg (1.5–3.5 lb). Mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are social animals preferring to congregate in groups or flocks of varying sizes.
Mallard
An American black duck (upper left) and a male mallard (lower right) in eclipse plumage
Juvenile male and female
Mallards are among the most common bird species to exhibit aberrant colouration, typically due to genetic mutations. The female pictured here is leucistic; leucism in birds often results in 'cream-colored', 'apricot' or muted feathers on certain parts of the body.