There is not much to say about this iconic duck, Mallards are our most common and well-known duck - often just called a 'duck' by many people. Male and female are very different, the female is all over brown (camouflaged when on the nest) and the male has the striking green head and yellow bill. However, the one facing right was taken in the summer when male mallards are in their eclipse plumage and they look very similar to the females. The easiest way to distinguish which is which in the summer is by the colour of their bill - females have an orange brown bill, and males keep their yellow bill.