The ancestor of all domestic ducks and the most familiar dabbling duck, the mallard is 500 to 600mm long. The female is buff brown with streaks. The crown is dark, as is the eye stripe. Females have orange bills, which can be mottled and sometimes brownish. The male's bill is yellowish with a black tip. The male has a glossy, bottle green head with a white collar. They have brown breasts with a purple tinge and a pale grey belly. The rear of the male is black with white bordered dark tail feathers. In flight, both sexes have an area on the wing which is either blue or iridescent purple and is bordered first by black and then white feathers.