Anas boschas; Print; 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. This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae. The male birds (drakes) have a glossy green head and are grey on their wings and belly; while the females (hens or ducks) have mainly brown-speckled plumage. Both sexes have an area of white-bordered black or iridescent 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 (1.7 to 2.4 in) long. It is often slightly heavier than most other dabbling ducks; weighing 0.72-1.58 kg (1.6-3.5 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. This species is the main ancestor of most breeds of domesticated ducks.; 1820-1863