2013 Canada 25 Cents Coloured Ducks Of Canada Coin Mallard

Abundant throughout North America, the Mallard is one of the continent’s most well-known and best-loved species of wild duck. The plumage of Mallards is instantly recognizable. The male, or drake, has a bright green head, ochre yellow bill, and brown chest. He bear patches (known as “specula”) of indigo blue on its greyish, brown wings. On the other hand, the female, or hen, bears mottled brown and white plumage, sharing with the drake a striking indigo speculum decorating the upper back edge of each wing. Mallard mating pairs travel together from their wintering grounds to their home breeding territory in early spring. Mallard hens will lay an egg a day for up to 12 days, incubating the eggs for about a month. Within one day of hatching, the mother leads her ducklings to the safety of nearby water. The ducklings will remain with their mother for approximately two months, until they learn to fly and can begin the age-old lifecycle of migrating, selecting a mate and breeding

Designed by Canadian artist Trevor Tennant, your coin features a Mallard mating pair swimming in their customary manner toward the viewer, gently churning up the waterway in which they swim with their webbed feet so that it seems to spill from the scene’s raised circular frame. The brown-and-white mottled female leads the way, glancing back at her mate, who turns his graceful green head to her. Behind them loom wetland reeds where water meets land, and further back still the pines and deciduous trees of Canada’s boreal forest tower against a bright, clear sky