The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1941-09-11
'MoIIords Heoding
South, Popular,
IVORY Come Bird

wild ducks on October l, the open
ing day of the 194l migratory wa
terfowl hunting season in northern
states the mallard will be promi-
nent among the game birds testing
the hunters ability. it is reported
by the Fish and Wildlife Service,
United States Department of the
Interior.
The preenhead. as the mallard is
popularity called, is one of the most
popular wild ducks in the country.
II is probably the best known duck
because of its wide distribution,
being found in every state. Its pop
ularity is attributed to its large
size. its reputation as table de-
licacy. and its willy nature, which
appeals to sportsmen.
1T adapts itself rapidly to
changes wrought in its environment
by man. states Robert c. McClan-
ahan, Service biologist. When
hunted persistently, the mallard be-
comes extremely wary and develops
nocturnal habits
Arthur c. Bent, famous orinthol-
ogist. describes the mallard as an
active, wary bird well worth prom
inence among game birds.
Sportsmen delight in watching the
mallard as it takes off in flight at
the first sound of alarm. II springs
out of the water at single bound,
straight into the air like an auto
giro, and after it has attained SUI
ficient height to clear the surround
ing brush and trees, it flies off
swiftly in direct line.
In winter, the bird is found
throughout the United States but
its principal breeding grounds are
in the northwestern and prairie
states. Alaska, and in Canada from
the Great Lakes to the Athabaska
and Mackenzie drainages.
A hardy bird, the mallard is one
of the leaders in the migration
north each spring. It pushes
spring, getting into the northern
areas Just as fast as the ice breaks
up on the sloughs, ponds, and
streams on which it alights during
migration. This habit of getting in
as cold weather leaves region has
led sportsmen to call the early mi
grants ice mallards.
Within 3 or 4 weeks, the birds
have arrived on the breeding
grounds. Courtship is conducted
largely on the wing. Two or three
males may be pursuing female
when suddenly the female will
touch a drake with her bill and the
two fly off together.
In water. the drake will swim
about the female bowling and bob
bling his head in nervous jerks, un-
til She responds with her bows.
Eggs are laid early in May, usual
ly in nests located on or near the
edge of marsh or slough. Often
however, a female bird will builC
her nest on the open prairie, many
miles from water. Normally, the
mallard lays only one set of 8 tc
IL eggs.
Incubation is performed entirely
by the female and lasts from % to
% days. As soon as the young are
Matched and the downy coats are
dried, the female takes her brood
to the nearest water.
Until the young are old enough
to fly. the female protects her off
spring from all danger, even at risk
of her life. The drake, however
assumes no family responsibilities
AS soon as the eggs are laid, II
flies off to join small flocks Of
brakes that summer together.
BY fall, young and old are ready
for the southwark migration, the
greater part of which takes place
in September and during October
1t is then that the mallard pits
its knowledge against the gunners
in marshes, sloughs, and lakes.
Although it is a fresh water bird
it must 60 in bays and rivers In
Greenland, Alaska, on the northern
Pacific Coast, and in New Eng
land. On the Atlantic seaboard, how.
ever, the mallard is not SO numer-
GUS as is its close cousin, the blacl
duck, sometimes called the blacl
mallard.
EIl IOutEy lilC lloAho "a WAtA Ai0A
lards stop to feed in grainfields
and along small lakes and pothole:
surrounded by forests and brush
where acorns and beechnuts arr
available. On the West Coast many
mallards feed on dead salmon ant
salmon eggs obtained in the pool
of rivers.
The birds wariness and its abil
|ity to adapt itself to changing con
ditions imposed by man have beer
in great part responsible tor 1T
ability to maintain its numbers bet
ter than many other species of wilt
ducks.
When Fall comes, the mallard ant
his cousins will run the annua
gauntlet. Federal regulations OF
migratory waterfowl hunting and
string of wildlife refugees stretches
across the country In X strategy
spots will help protect the bird
from too much hunting.
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