Make Way for Mallards

Script by Francie Von Mertens.

Parents have been reading Make Way for Ducklings to children for generations now. This lively tale of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard raising their young in the heart of Boston came out in 1941, when mallards were newcomers to New England.

Mallards are native to Midwestern prairie wetlands, but they've spread out in all directions to become the most familiar and hunt-able duck in North America. Much of their expansion in the East resulted from the release of farm-bred mallards. That helps to explain their tolerance of humans, and of our food. In Make Way for Ducklings, Mr. and Mrs. Mallard nest along the Charles River, close to the peanut handouts at Boston Public Garden.

Mr. Mallard, like males of most duck species, leaves his mate who then takes care of the young alone. We've all seen female ducks followed closely by fuzzy little ducklings. The males retreat to secluded waterways while they molt new flight feathers. They're flightless for about three weeks, a time when they are the proverbial "sitting duck," vulnerable to predators. Males are colorful and easy to see compared to the camouflage plumage of females and young, so perhaps it's best they depart the family unit.

In the book, friendly policemen stop traffic as Mrs. Mallard leads her eight little ones down city streets towards a reunion with Mr. Mallard. Most Massachusetts mallards don't migrate, and no doubt a few family reunions do occur when they gather in crowded duck ponds where food handouts are likely.

As for wild ducks other than mallards? Most leave the family grouping for good after a few months. True migrants, they head south in the fall well beyond the nearest city park and peanuts.