Dabbling duck · Duck ID

Mallard

Anas platyrhynchos · Green head, white neck ring, curled black tail feathers. The bird of the flooded timber.

Drake. Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie · Public domain · source

Length: 20–26 in
Weight: 2.0–3.0 lb
Wingspan: 32–39 in
Group: Dabbling duck

Typical adult size. Drakes run larger than hens.

Field marks

How to identify a mallard

Drake

Glossy green head, thin white neck ring, chestnut breast and gray body. Yellow bill. Two black feathers curl up at the tail.

Hen

Mottled brown all over with a dark line through the eye. The bill is orange with a dark saddle in the middle. Loud, descending quack.

In flight

Big, heavy duck with steady wingbeats. Both sexes show a blue wing patch (speculum) framed in white on both edges, and white underwings.

Look-alikes

American black duck: Darker body, no white border on the front edge of the speculum, and a purple-blue speculum.
Mottled duck: Hen mallards show white on both sides of the speculum and a dark-saddled orange bill; mottled ducks are warmer brown with a plain yellow-olive bill.
Gadwall: Hen gadwalls have a white wing patch and a thinner orange-edged bill.

Photos

Mallard gallery

Mallard: Hen — **Hen**Giles Laurent · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Mallard: Drake in flight — **Drake in flight**Dennis G. Jarvis · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source

Hear it

Mallard call

Recording: Jonathon Jongsma · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · original recording

2026-27 bag limits

Mallard limits in Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas

State	Mallard daily limit	Possession	Total daily ducks	Source
MississippiNov 27–29; Dec 4–6; Dec 9, 2026–Jan 31, 2027	4 a day, no more than 2 hens	3 times the daily limit Not confirmed Opening-day possession wording in the Digest (check the official source)	6 ducks a day	MDWFP Hunting Seasons and Bag Limits · checked Oct 22, 2026 Mississippi rules
TennesseeNov 28–29; Dec 5, 2026–Jan 31, 2027	4 a day, no more than 2 hens	3 times the daily limit, except 1 times on opening day and 2 times on the second day	6 ducks a day	TWRA Waterfowl and Migratory Birds · checked Oct 22, 2026 Tennessee rules
ArkansasNov 21–29; Dec 10–23; Dec 26, 2026–Jan 31, 2027	4 a day, no more than 2 hens	3 times the daily limit	6 ducks a day	AGFC Waterfowl Season Dates, Rules and Regulations · checked Oct 22, 2026 Arkansas rules

Regular-season limits from each state’s official 2026-27 regulations. Possession limits count birds at home too. Federal rules apply on top of state rules, and some WMAs and refuges set stricter limits. Louisiana limits are on the Louisiana rules page.

Mid-South

When and where on public land

Timing

A few nest locally, but most arrive with the first hard cold fronts of late November and December. Numbers usually peak from mid-December through January.

Habitat

Flooded green timber, moist-soil units and flooded rice and soybean fields. The classic bird of the Cache, Bayou DeView and St. Francis bottoms when the water is up.