Kids' Guide to Birds of Wisconsin: Fun Facts, Activities and 86 Cool Birds (Birding Children's Books) - Softcover

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Naturalist, wildlife photographer and writer Stan Tekiela is the author of more than 175 field guides, nature books, children’s books, wildlife audio CDs, puzzles and playing cards, presenting many species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, trees, wildflowers and cacti in the United States. With a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural History from the University of Minnesota and as an active professional naturalist for more than 25 years, Stan studies and photographs wildlife throughout the United States and Canada. He has received various national and regional awards for his books and photographs. Also a well-known columnist and radio personality, his syndicated column appears in more than 25 newspapers and his wildlife programs are broadcast on a number of Midwest radio stations. Stan can be followed on Facebook and Twitter.

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Mostly Green

Mallard
Look for the green head

What to look for: green head with a white necklace, rusty-brown chest, gray sides, yellow bill, orange legs and feet

Where you'll find them: lakes and ponds, rivers and streams, and maybe even your backyard

Calls and songs: the male doesn’t quack; when you think of how a duck sounds, it’s based on the female Mallard’s classic loud quack

On the move: mostly in flocks of 6–10, especially in spring; sometimes in huge flocks with hundreds of ducks

What they eat: seeds, aquatic plants and insects; visits ground feeders offering corn

Nest: ground; Mom builds it from plants nearby

Eggs, chicks and childcare: 7–10 greenish-to-whitish eggs; Mom incubates the eggs and leads the young to food

Spends the winter: doesn’t migrate in Wisconsin

Stan's Cool Stuff: This is a dabbling duck, tipping forward in shallow water to eat plants on the bottom. The male has black feathers in the center of its tail that curl upward. The common name “Mallard” means “male” and refers to the males, which don’t help raise their young.

REAL QUICK

• Size: 19-21"
• Nest: ground
• Feeder: ground
• Range map: year-round