Nesting Female Mallard Duck

"The eye is the window to the soul."

This is the eye of a female Southern Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos) sitting on a nest filled with eggs. This large, common marshland duck is easily identified by a blue wing patch margined by two white bars. The female Mallard is smaller then the males, with a mottled brown plumage; the males have a green head and white neck rings. They are dabbling ducks; meaning they feed by tipping forward, in shallow water, and grazing on underwater plants. Picture taken in Collierville, Tn. on 04-04-12.