Mallard Call MP3s
The world's most widely hunted duck, the Mallard is a legal quarry species across most of its huge range. These calls suit hunters, decoy spreads and anyone learning to tell drake from hen by ear.
Also known as
Recordings (8)
About this species
The Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is a duck of the Anatidae family of around 58 cm — the drake instantly recognisable by its iridescent bottle-green head, yellow bill and curled black tail feathers. It frequents lakes, gravel pits, slow rivers and even urban park waters right across the Western Palearctic.
The female's loud, descending quack is among the most familiar of all wild sounds, while the drake gives a quiet, reedy call. It feeds on aquatic plants, seeds, acorns and invertebrates, dabbling and up-ending in the shallows. A classic dabbling duck, it up-ends in the shallows and walks readily on land. Across the Mediterranean flyway it is most numerous from autumn through winter, when migrants from the north flood the wetlands of Greece and the Balkans.
Legal use
The Mallard is the most abundant and widely hunted duck species on Earth, legally pursued as game across North America (under a state hunting license, any required state waterfowl stamp, and the federal duck stamp in the US), most of the EU and UK (Birds Directive Annex II / general licence quarry), and much of temperate Asia. Populations are large and generally well-established, and mallard hunting is sustainably managed in most range countries, though local seasons, bag limits and licensing requirements vary widely by country and even by region. Because rules differ so much between jurisdictions and change year to year, always confirm current local requirements before you hunt; see our full country-by-country disclaimer for details.