Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Photo taken on the
Grand Canal in Phoenix, AZ Jan. 2003
Ducks in the Sonoran Desert? Oh, yes! City Parks and golf courses rife with lush lawns and ponds attract migrating ducks throughout the winter months. Mallards can be found year round and breed regularly along canals and at the urban fish ponds. They will also be seen along rivers and streams where there are pools or man-made reservoirs.
This duck species has been domesticated and mostly the captive breeds are white. People then release these white breeds back to the wild - possibly after being kept as pets. Subsequent interbreeding with the wild-type mallards then results in mixed individuals with part white and part typical mallard plumage. These released birds and their offspring tend to occur only in the city park ponds and remain there year round.