The majestic mallard is unmistakable. Its white collar and brilliant green head crown this handsome duck. It is the best known wild duck in the world and is also the most extensively hunted. It's a dabbler, which means it surface feeds by tipping its tail up to reach aquatic plants and insects. On land it eats weeds, seeds and roots.

The female chooses the nesting site, usually little more than a depression lined with grass and weeds. The female sheds down from her belly to line the nest for warmth and covers the eggs from predators when off to feed. She incubates the eggs for 28 days, until the chicks hatch.

As soon as ducklings are dry they are led to water, with protective mom hovering over them. In ten weeks they have flight feathers and they are independent. Meanwhile, dad stays with them for only ten days of incubation, then flocks with other males and loses his brilliant breeding plumage. All his flight feathers are shed at once, and for a month he is flightless.

Look for mallards in ponds and streams throughout the Leavenworth area. You can almost always find them near Blackbird Island and at Fish Lake.