When Do Mallards Nest?

The mallard is the most recognizable and highly populated wild duck in North America. These ducks are found mostly in prairies and lightly wooded areas in Canada and the United States. Mallards have reliable breeding and nesting habits that seldom change from year to year, and you can easily find their nests if you know what to look for.

  1. Mating Habits

    • Male mallard ducks, or drakes, are bright green from September until June to indicate that it is mating season. During this season, many compete for females, or hens. Hens choose their mate early in the fall but don't actually begin breeding until March. When mating season ends, the drake departs, leaving the hen to care for the ducklings. During the summer, drakes lose their bright green feathers and are unable to fly until the next mating season begins.

    Nesting Behavior

    • When hens are prepared to lay their eggs, they build the nest themselves. Hens prefer to nest close to the location that they themselves were born and rarely nest very far from the area they nested the previous year. If their nest is destroyed or they're forced to abandon it, hens are able to rebuild a nest about four times in a year, although the energy required to do so usually means they will have a smaller brood. Hens lay their eggs one at a time up to an average of nine eggs in a brood.

    Nesting Locations

    • Most mallards prefer to nest near a source of fresh water, as their young will need water quickly after being born. Mallards tend to nest in brushes or tall grass for protection and prefer open plains to heavily wooded forests. Even potholes in the prairies serve as acceptable nesting locations. This is because mallards are surface-feeding ducks, which means most of their food sources come from ground level or near the surface of water.

    Threats to Mallard Populations

    • Many natural locations that were once heavily populated with mallard ducks have seen a decline in numbers in the past few decades. Severe droughts in the 1980s and '90s have dried up several wetlands and marshes. Many are concerned that in the long term, destruction of habitat may cause an irreversible decline in numbers. An international conservation movement has joined Canada, America and Mexico in a project that hopes to restore mallard numbers to the 1970 level.