It is found in Canada and northern US in summer. The birds winter from the northern states south. The voice is a honking sound, often heard overhead during spring and fall migrations. A little longer than an adult's forearm, the male has a green head, chestnut breast, and a mixture of gray, brown, and white behind. The female is mainly brown except for blue and white wing patches.
Females quack, males squeak.
The Mallard is found throughout the northern hemisphere in marshes, swamps, ponds, grainfields, rivers, lakes, and bays. It typically feeds by tipping up so that its head is below the surface but its tail is pointed skyward. Its name derives from its loud repetition of its call. Though technically a shorebird of the plover group, it is found in fields, airports, and lawns as well as shorelands. It is found from Canada to Mexico in the summer with some migration from northern areas in winter.