Mallard Chicks - Anas platyrhynchos
I have seen three sets of Mallard chicks this year. These five ducklings were in Discovery Duck Pond on June 23rd, on the third day after the flood.
The mother below had three chicks in Discovery Duck Pond on June 10th, and in the Glenmore Runoff Reservoir, I saw another family of two chicks on June 13th.
Mallard females usually lay 10 to 12 eggs, so these small clutches are unusual.
Incubation is by the female alone for 26 to 29 days. The first set of new chicks imply that the eggs were laid in mid May. I have not seen male female pairs very often in the last month because the males have moved on to hang out with other males.
These chicks will fledge at 7 or 8 weeks of life, likely in early August.
References
The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Alberta. Federation of Alberta Naturalists. 2007.
Baicich PJ, Harrison CJO. Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds. Princeton UP. 2005.
Fisher C, Acorn J. Birds of Alberta. Lone Pine Publishing. Edmonton. 1998.
Sibley David A. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. Alfred A Knopf, Inc. New York. 2001.
I have seen three sets of Mallard chicks this year. These five ducklings were in Discovery Duck Pond on June 23rd, on the third day after the flood.
Incubation is by the female alone for 26 to 29 days. The first set of new chicks imply that the eggs were laid in mid May. I have not seen male female pairs very often in the last month because the males have moved on to hang out with other males.
These chicks will fledge at 7 or 8 weeks of life, likely in early August.
References
The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Alberta. Federation of Alberta Naturalists. 2007.
Baicich PJ, Harrison CJO. Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds. Princeton UP. 2005.
Fisher C, Acorn J. Birds of Alberta. Lone Pine Publishing. Edmonton. 1998.
Sibley David A. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. Alfred A Knopf, Inc. New York. 2001.
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