Scientific name: Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758
Bird group: Ducks
Field characters. 50-65 cm. Male with glossy dark green head, small white collar, purplish-brown breast, vermiculated grey body, dark brown centre of back, black upper- and undertail-coverts, and white rest of tail, but two central tail feathers black and curled upwards; bill greenish-yellow. Female is brown, mottled, spotted, and streaked with blackish; bill dull orange to yellow-brown. Both sexes with broad blue or purple speculum, edged with black and white both at front and rear, and orange legs. Juvenile and male eclipse like female but both with darker crown; eclipse with more rufous on breast, yellow bill, and grey markings on mantle.
Voice. Female produces a deep quacking; male has a much more subdued, higher-pitched "quek", or "raehb".
Distribution. Very common resident.
Habitat. Adapted to a wide range of habitats and very tolerant to human presence or disturbance; usually only on stagnant and shallow waters.
Food. Takes a great variety of food items through a wide range of feeding methods, depending on habitat, season, feeding mechanism. Omnivorous; an opportunistic and gregarious feeder, taking seeds and overwintering green parts early in the year, more animal prey during summer, plants and seeds in autumn and winter.
Eggs. Without markings, ground colour grey/bluish green/grey-green/buff/cream/light blue (occasionally). Texture smooth, not glossy. Shape subelliptical (generally)/short subelliptical/long subelliptical. Size 57 x 41 mm (50-65 x 37-46), weight 51 g (42-59).