Listen to the mallard
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the mallard
The mallard is a bird in the family Anatidae (order Anseriformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 88 cm.
What does the mallard sound like?
Bird vocalisations are usually divided into songs – longer, often complex phrases used to defend territory and attract mates, sung mostly by males in the breeding season – and calls: short, simple sounds for contact, alarm, begging or flight.
The recordings here are labelled as call. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The mallard or wild duck (Anas platyrhynchos) is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout temperate and subtropical North America, Eurasia, and North Africa. It has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Falkland Islands, and South Africa. Belonging to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae, mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are social animals preferring to congregate in groups or flocks of varying sizes.
Related birds in the genus Anas
More from the family Anatidae
Frequently asked questions
What does a mallard sound like?
You can hear 3 recordings of the mallard on this page, including its call. Bird vocalisations are usually divided into songs – longer, often complex phrases used to defend territory and attract mates, sung mostly by males in the breeding season – and calls: short, simple sounds for contact, alarm, begging or flight.
Is the mallard endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the mallard as “least concern”.
What family does the mallard belong to?
The mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) belongs to the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes.
Sources & credits
- Call · Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, United… by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Call · Jardin des Plantes (near Paris), Arrondissement de Paris… by Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Call · Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, United… by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q25348 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Mallard – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Rolf Dietrich Brecher from Germany – CC BY 2.0