Anas platyrhynchos

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	ANSERIFORMES	ANATIDAE

Scientific Name:

Anas platyrhynchos

Species Authority:

Linnaeus, 1758

Common Name/s:

English	–	Common Mallard, Mallard, Northern Mallard
French	–	Canard colvert

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2009

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Bird, J., Butchart, S.

Justification:
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is extremely large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

History:

2008	–	Least Concern
2004	–	Least Concern

Geographic Range [top]

Countries:	Native: Afghanistan; Albania; Algeria; Armenia; Aruba; Austria; Azerbaijan; Bahamas; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Belarus; Belgium; Belize; Bermuda; Bhutan; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Canada; China; Costa Rica; Croatia; Cuba; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Egypt; Eritrea; Estonia; Ethiopia; Falkland Islands (Malvinas); Faroe Islands; Finland; France; Georgia; Germany; Greece; Greenland; Guam; Guatemala; Haiti; Honduras; Hong Kong; Hungary; Iceland; India; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Japan; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Korea, Republic of; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Latvia; Lebanon; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Malaysia; Malta; Mauritania; Mexico; Moldova; Mongolia; Montenegro; Morocco; Myanmar; Nepal; Netherlands; Netherlands Antilles; Nicaragua; Northern Mariana Islands; Norway; Oman; Pakistan; Palestinian Territory, Occupied; Philippines; Poland; Portugal; Puerto Rico; Qatar; Romania; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Saint Pierre and Miquelon; Saudi Arabia; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Somalia; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Spain; Sudan; Sweden; Switzerland; Syrian Arab Republic; Taiwan, Province of China; Tajikistan; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Turks and Caicos Islands; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States; Uzbekistan; Viet Nam; Yemen Introduced: Australia; New Zealand Vagrant: Antigua and Barbuda; Brunei Darussalam; Cayman Islands; Cook Islands; Djibouti; Dominican Republic; Fiji; Gambia; Gibraltar; Guadeloupe; Jamaica; Kiribati; Mali; Martinique; Niger; Nigeria; Panama; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Senegal; Seychelles; Sri Lanka; Svalbard and Jan Mayen; Thailand; Vanuatu; Virgin Islands, U.S.; Zambia Present - origin uncertain: Marshall Islands
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Countries:

Native:

Afghanistan; Albania; Algeria; Armenia; Aruba; Austria; Azerbaijan; Bahamas; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Belarus; Belgium; Belize; Bermuda; Bhutan; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Canada; China; Costa Rica; Croatia; Cuba; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Egypt; Eritrea; Estonia; Ethiopia; Falkland Islands (Malvinas); Faroe Islands; Finland; France; Georgia; Germany; Greece; Greenland; Guam; Guatemala; Haiti; Honduras; Hong Kong; Hungary; Iceland; India; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Japan; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Korea, Republic of; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Latvia; Lebanon; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Malaysia; Malta; Mauritania; Mexico; Moldova; Mongolia; Montenegro; Morocco; Myanmar; Nepal; Netherlands; Netherlands Antilles; Nicaragua; Northern Mariana Islands; Norway; Oman; Pakistan; Palestinian Territory, Occupied; Philippines; Poland; Portugal; Puerto Rico; Qatar; Romania; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Saint Pierre and Miquelon; Saudi Arabia; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Somalia; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Spain; Sudan; Sweden; Switzerland; Syrian Arab Republic; Taiwan, Province of China; Tajikistan; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Turks and Caicos Islands; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States; Uzbekistan; Viet Nam; Yemen

Introduced:

Australia; New Zealand

Vagrant:

Antigua and Barbuda; Brunei Darussalam; Cayman Islands; Cook Islands; Djibouti; Dominican Republic; Fiji; Gambia; Gibraltar; Guadeloupe; Jamaica; Kiribati; Mali; Martinique; Niger; Nigeria; Panama; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Senegal; Seychelles; Sri Lanka; Svalbard and Jan Mayen; Thailand; Vanuatu; Virgin Islands, U.S.; Zambia

Present - origin uncertain:

Marshall Islands

Range Map:

Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Behaviour In temperate regions breeding populations of this species are sedentary or dispersive, often making local movements during severe weather⁵. Other populations are fully migratory² with females and juveniles leaving the breeding grounds in the western Palearctic from Septemberand returning as early as February⁵. The species breeds between March and June³ in single pairs or loose groups¹ although the exact timing varies with latitude³. While the females are incubating⁴ (from mid-May)^{5, 6} the males gather³ in small flocks and migrate to moulting areas⁶ where they undergo a flightless moulting period lasting for c.4 weeks⁵ (females moult near the breeding grounds)⁶. Outside of the breeding season the species can be found in small to very large flocks³ numbering up to several hundreds or even thousands of individuals⁷ especially when moulting⁵, on migration⁷ and during the winter². The species may also roost both nocturnally and diurnally in communal groups when not breeding⁸. Habitat The species occurs in almost every wetland type¹ although it generally avoids fast-flowing, oligotrophic^{1, 5, 7}, deep, exposed, rough, rockbound waters and hard unvegetated areas such as rocky ground, sand dunes and artificial surfacing⁷. It requires water less than 1 m deep for foraging⁷ and shows a preference for freshwater habitats³ although it may frequent shallow brackish waters as long as they provide the cover^{1, 5} of submerged, floating, emergent or riparian vegetation, dense reedbeds or overhanging branches⁷. Habitats commonly frequented include flooded swampy woodlands, seasonal floodlands⁷, wet grassy swamps and meadows, oxbow lakes⁶, open waters with mudflats, banks or spits, irrigation networks, reservoirs, ornamental waters^{1, 5, 7}, canals and sewage farms⁷. During the winter the species may also be found in saline habitats along the coast³ where water is shallow, fairly sheltered and within site of land⁷ (e.g. brackish lagoons⁷, brackish estuaries^{1, 7} and bays¹). Diet The species is omnivorous and opportunistic^{1, 7}, feeding by dabbling in water and by grazing on the land⁷. Its diet consists of seeds and the vegetative parts of aquatic and terrestrial plants (e.g. crops)¹, as well as terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates (especially in the spring and summer) such as insects, molluscs, crustaceans, worms and occasionally amphibians and fish¹. Breeding site The nest is a shallow depression⁷ or bowl of vegetation that can be situated in many different locations such as within vegetation on the ground, in natural tree cavities¹ up to 10 m high (Africa)⁸, under fallen dead wood, on tree stumps⁶, under bushes⁸ and even in abandoned nests of other species (e.g. herons or crows)⁶. Nests are generally placed close to water² although occasionally they may be some distance away³. Management information "Extensive" grazing of wetland grasslands (c.0.5 cows per hectare) was found to attract a higher abundance of the species in Hungary¹⁹. Studies in Danish coastal wetlands found that the spatial restriction of shore-based shooting was more successful at maintaining waterfowl population sizes than was the temporal restriction of shooting, and therefore that wildfowl reserves should incorporate shooting-free refuges that include adjacent marshland in order to ensure high waterfowl species diversity²⁰. The cyclical removal of adult fish from an artificial waterbody (gravel pit) in the UK resulted in an increase in invertebrate food availability and an increase in the growth of submerged aquatic macrophytes, which in turn led to an increased use of the habitat for brood rearing by the species²⁶. The removed fish (dead or alive) were sold to generate funds²⁶. The species will also nest in artificial nest boxes^{1, 8}.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater

Habitat and Ecology:

Behaviour In temperate regions breeding populations of this species are sedentary or dispersive, often making local movements during severe weather⁵. Other populations are fully migratory² with females and juveniles leaving the breeding grounds in the western Palearctic from Septemberand returning as early as February⁵. The species breeds between March and June³ in single pairs or loose groups¹ although the exact timing varies with latitude³. While the females are incubating⁴ (from mid-May)^{5, 6} the males gather³ in small flocks and migrate to moulting areas⁶ where they undergo a flightless moulting period lasting for c.4 weeks⁵ (females moult near the breeding grounds)⁶. Outside of the breeding season the species can be found in small to very large flocks³ numbering up to several hundreds or even thousands of individuals⁷ especially when moulting⁵, on migration⁷ and during the winter². The species may also roost both nocturnally and diurnally in communal groups when not breeding⁸. Habitat The species occurs in almost every wetland type¹ although it generally avoids fast-flowing, oligotrophic^{1, 5, 7}, deep, exposed, rough, rockbound waters and hard unvegetated areas such as rocky ground, sand dunes and artificial surfacing⁷. It requires water less than 1 m deep for foraging⁷ and shows a preference for freshwater habitats³ although it may frequent shallow brackish waters as long as they provide the cover^{1, 5} of submerged, floating, emergent or riparian vegetation, dense reedbeds or overhanging branches⁷. Habitats commonly frequented include flooded swampy woodlands, seasonal floodlands⁷, wet grassy swamps and meadows, oxbow lakes⁶, open waters with mudflats, banks or spits, irrigation networks, reservoirs, ornamental waters^{1, 5, 7}, canals and sewage farms⁷. During the winter the species may also be found in saline habitats along the coast³ where water is shallow, fairly sheltered and within site of land⁷ (e.g. brackish lagoons⁷, brackish estuaries^{1, 7} and bays¹). Diet The species is omnivorous and opportunistic^{1, 7}, feeding by dabbling in water and by grazing on the land⁷. Its diet consists of seeds and the vegetative parts of aquatic and terrestrial plants (e.g. crops)¹, as well as terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates (especially in the spring and summer) such as insects, molluscs, crustaceans, worms and occasionally amphibians and fish¹. Breeding site The nest is a shallow depression⁷ or bowl of vegetation that can be situated in many different locations such as within vegetation on the ground, in natural tree cavities¹ up to 10 m high (Africa)⁸, under fallen dead wood, on tree stumps⁶, under bushes⁸ and even in abandoned nests of other species (e.g. herons or crows)⁶. Nests are generally placed close to water² although occasionally they may be some distance away³. Management information "Extensive" grazing of wetland grasslands (c.0.5 cows per hectare) was found to attract a higher abundance of the species in Hungary¹⁹. Studies in Danish coastal wetlands found that the spatial restriction of shore-based shooting was more successful at maintaining waterfowl population sizes than was the temporal restriction of shooting, and therefore that wildfowl reserves should incorporate shooting-free refuges that include adjacent marshland in order to ensure high waterfowl species diversity²⁰. The cyclical removal of adult fish from an artificial waterbody (gravel pit) in the UK resulted in an increase in invertebrate food availability and an increase in the growth of submerged aquatic macrophytes, which in turn led to an increased use of the habitat for brood rearing by the species²⁶. The removed fish (dead or alive) were sold to generate funds²⁶. The species will also nest in artificial nest boxes^{1, 8}.

Systems:

Terrestrial; Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	The species is threatened by wetland habitat degradation and loss from pollution (e.g. petroleum⁹ and pesticide pollution²²), wetland drainage, peat-extraction, changing wetland management practices (e.g. decreased grazing and mowing in meadows leading to scrub over-growth)and the burning and mowing of reedbeds⁹. The species also suffers mortality as a result of lead shot ingestion (e.g. in Spain²¹ and France²⁴) and poisoning from white phosphorous ingestion (from firearms) in Alaska¹⁸. It is also susceptible to duck virus enteritis (DVE)¹⁰, avian influenza¹² and avian botulism¹¹ so may be threatened by future outbreaks of these diseases (although it may be able to withstand sporadic losses due to its high reproductive potential)¹¹. The species is predated by American mink Neovison vison in Europe²⁵. Utilisation The species is hunted throughout the world² mainly for sport^{13, 14, 15, 17}, but also for commercial use (food)¹⁶. The eggs of this species were (and possibly still are) harvested in Iceland²³.

Major Threat(s):

The species is threatened by wetland habitat degradation and loss from pollution (e.g. petroleum⁹ and pesticide pollution²²), wetland drainage, peat-extraction, changing wetland management practices (e.g. decreased grazing and mowing in meadows leading to scrub over-growth)and the burning and mowing of reedbeds⁹. The species also suffers mortality as a result of lead shot ingestion (e.g. in Spain²¹ and France²⁴) and poisoning from white phosphorous ingestion (from firearms) in Alaska¹⁸. It is also susceptible to duck virus enteritis (DVE)¹⁰, avian influenza¹² and avian botulism¹¹ so may be threatened by future outbreaks of these diseases (although it may be able to withstand sporadic losses due to its high reproductive potential)¹¹. The species is predated by American mink Neovison vison in Europe²⁵. Utilisation The species is hunted throughout the world² mainly for sport^{13, 14, 15, 17}, but also for commercial use (food)¹⁶. The eggs of this species were (and possibly still are) harvested in Iceland²³.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2009. Anas platyrhynchos. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 08 February 2012.
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