Mallard

Mallard:

of all the animals I see each morning, even when I’m fortunate and catch sight of the rare, secretive ones, it’s ducks that are perhaps most beloved by me. They’re common to be my neighborhood pond, familiar my entire life, and yet never overlooked, always a deep love for this fascinating bird. This is the mallard, perhaps the most recognizable duck in the world, the breeding male offers a beautiful show of color, bright green heads with a ring of white at the base of their deck. Females and non-breeding brings are no less lovely, although not as brightly shown, more subtle, a tone that seems to match the water of their home and yet still displays a unique blue spectrum that’s visible in flight.

it’s their vulnerability that most affects me, that they are easy prey for so many animals that are near, even ones that seem less likely to be a threat such a green and blue herons, crows, and a few fish that pose a threat as well. For several weeks after breeding season they are flightless, having shed their flight feathers, more vulnerable than ever now, and retreating to secretive locations until their ability to fly is recovered. A mallards life is never easy, seldom safe, and the predation-avoidance behavior of sleeping with one eye open, resting a specific brain hemisphere while the other side is awake and watchful was first demonstrated by mallards.