Wild Duck

Hunting season: October 1 – January 31

Wild duck is of great importance for hunters in Bulgaria. It is an interesting game species with tasty meat. During the migration there is a considerable number of wild ducks in the whole country and the hunt can be really successful. About 100,000 wild ducks are wintering in the country every year.

Scientific Name: Anas platyrhynchos

Habitat: It is found in both fresh- and salt-water wetlands, including parks, small ponds, rivers, lakes and estuaries, as well as shallow inlets and open sea within sight of the coastline.

Description: The breeding male mallard is unmistakable, with a glossy bottle-green head and a white collar that demarcates the head from the purple-tinged brown breast, grey-brown wings, and a pale grey belly. The rear of the male is black, with white-bordered dark tail feathers. The bill of the male is a yellowish-orange tipped with black, with that of the female generally darker and ranging from black to mottled orange and brown. The female mallard is predominantly mottled, with each individual feather showing sharp contrast from buff to very dark brown, a coloration shared by most female dabbling ducks, and has buff cheeks, eyebrow, throat, and neck, with a darker crown and eye-stripe. Both male and female mallards have distinct iridescent purple-blue speculum feathers edged with white.

Hunting method: lying in wait, over decoys, walking up

Hunting available in: All areas of distribution in Bulgaria.