The Spot-billed Mallard is similar in size to a mallard, weighing 890~1340 grams and 560-632 mm in length. The male and female have similar plumage colors. The body feathers are mostly dark brown; there are obvious pale white yellow eyebrow spots on the side of the head; the peak of the bill is black and the tip is yellow, which is different from other wild ducks; the cheeks, whiskers, throat and front neck are all white, and the wing mirrors are metallic blue-green

Spot-billed Mallard

Spot-billed duck is similar in size to a mallard, with a weight of 890~1340 grams and a body length of 560-632 mm. The male and female have similar plumage colors. The body feathers are mostly dark brown; there are obvious pale white yellow eyebrow spots on the side of the head; the peak of the bill is black and the tip is yellow, which is different from other wild ducks; the cheeks, whiskers, throat and front neck are all white, and the wing mirrors are metallic blue-green with gray-purple flashes. Iris dark brown.

Field identification

A large (60 cm) dark brown duck. The head is light in color, the top and eye line are dark in color, the mouth is black and the tip of the mouth is yellow. During the breeding period, the yellow tip of the mouth has a black spot on the tip, which is a characteristic of this species. The throat and cheek skin are yellow. The white third-level flight feathers are sometimes visible when resting and are very obvious when flying. Both sexes are the same color, but the female is duller.

Easy identification

Black mouth, yellow tip; white face, obvious black eye stripes

Breeding characteristics

Spots The mallard duck has the characteristics of medium size, good meat quality and high fecundity. In the wild, spot-billed mallards hatch and raise their chicks naturally. In order to make full use of wild duck resources, protect the diversity of wild duck species, and meet market needs, wild ducks are timid and omnivorous, good at swimming, flying, and highly resistant to stress.

It inhabits lakes, ponds and rivers with dense aquatic plants or reeds on the shore, and is good at diving. At dusk, they disperse and fly to rice fields, ditches or mud ponds to look for food. Omnivorous, staple food is plants, but also eats snails and insects. Breeding occurs between May and July, and nests are built in the grass. A clutch lays 6-12 eggs, which are light yellow or white in color, with an average egg weight of 54.2 grams; the female is responsible for incubation, and the incubation period is 24 days. Some can reproduce twice a year. It may be the ancestor of some domestic ducks and has important scientific research value from the perspective of genetic resources.