DucklingWatch

Despite being the UK’s most common duck, there is still a lot we don’t know about mallards. Improving our understanding of mallard ecology, from their preferred habitats and breeding success to their migration patterns, is important to ensure we effectively conserve this species.

One gap in our knowledge of mallard ecology is the survival rate of their ducklings – this is the proportion of ducklings that survive to adulthood. This has not been directly studied in the UK but is key to understanding what drives changes in mallard populations.