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Season's End - Mallards By David A. Maass

Season's End - Mallards ducks painted by waterfowl artist David A. Maass

A noisy species, the male has a nasal call, and a high-pitched whistle, while the female has a deeper quack stereotypically associated with ducks.

The Mallard is a rare example of both Allen's Rule and Bergmann's Rule in birds. Bergmann's Rule, which states that polar forms tend to be larger than related ones from warmer climates, has numerous examples in birds. Allen's Rule says that appendages like ears tend to be smaller in polar forms to minimize heat loss, and larger in tropical and desert equivalents to facilitate heat diffusion, and that the polar taxa are stockier overall. Examples of this rule in birds are rare, as they lack external ears. However, the bill of ducks is very well supplied with blood vessels and is vulnerable to cold.

Due to the malleability of the Mallard's genetic code, which gives it its vast interbreeding capability, mutations in the genes that decide plumage color are very common and have resulted in a wide variety of hybrids such as Brewer's Duck.

Season's End - Mallards by David A. Maass is available for sale as a signed and numbered limited edition print with a 16-1/2 x 26 image size priced at $155 unframed.

Order yours today. All paintings are professionally boxed and insured and guaranteed to arrive in mint condition.

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