Visiting your local duck pond in late summer, you may have noticed there seems to be a lack of male mallards on the water.
Where have they all gone?
The truth is you are probably looking at them. Mallards and many other birds are currently going through their yearly moult
This is when they lose one set of feathers to be replaced with another fresh set.
During the moulting season, birds struggle to fly until their new feathers come through.
To hide themselves from predators, they take on a dull brown colour for perfect camouflage.
So although they may be looking sorry for themselves at the moment, they will soon have a brand new coat of feathers ready for the breeding season.
Don’t forget…
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