They also take advantage of human food sources, such as gleaning grain from crops. Pair bonding starts as early as October and continues through March. Mallard males leave the hen soon after mating occurs. The hen usually lays 9 -13 eggs in a nest on the ground near a body of water. When the ducklings hatch, the hen leads them to water and does not return to the nest.
Wetlands also produce a great deal of aquatic invertebrates on which mallards feed.