Ducks on Kayuta Lake

Quack, quack, quack. That's the unmistakable sound of the mallards on Kayuta Lake.

Click here to listen to the mallard and other duck sounds.


The mallard is the most common duck in the US and the ancestor of several domestic breeds. The male mallard is easily recognizable by its beautiful green head separated by a white line from its chestnut brown chest. The female has a mottled brownish color with a dark brown head and a dark brown stripe running through the eye.


I have not had much luck photographing the colorful drake. Normally, the green headed drake can be seen in the spring during breeding season. Once the ducklings hatch, by June and July, they change their plumage to the nonbreeding "eclipse plummage" which is similar to the female's drab coloring. This makes it easier for them to avoid predators. In the fall, they will molt again and hopefully, I'll be able to catch more than a glimpse of their magnificent coloring before the end of this season.