'Natural History Story'.
Mallard is the species that I will briefly discuss the natural history of. This species has proven to be highly adaptive and have thus grown in numbers at a rapid rate. As a result, Mallards are the most abundant and widespread duck in Northern America. Moreover, this duck can be seen around the world with variations in size and features. They inhabit anywhere from the tundra to subtropical zones and occupy both salt and fresh water wetlands. Mallards are in almost every continent on the planet. An interesting feature of this duck is that it exhibits both Allen'sRule and Bergmann's Rule. The mallard has smaller beaks in colder climates to minimize heat loss (Allen's Rule) and is larger in colder climates (Bergmann's Rule). Furthermore, Mallards have
This duck is also said to be the ancestor of many domestic duck breeds. It is a fairly recent species at about 2 million years old and likely originated in Siberia. However, the ability of Mallards to breed with about 45 other duck species has created a wide array of different ducks which have produced fully fertile hybrids.
One of the defining characteristic of the Mallard is the sexual dimorphism that it exhibits. The males have distinct green heads with white neck rings and light brown breast. On the other hand, the female are light brown with distinct patterns on their feathers.
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