Description
Theme:
Celebrating 75 Years of Ducks Unlimited Canada: The Mallard—Icon of Canadian Wetlands
Description:
This coloured cupronickel 25-cent coin measures 35 milimetres. The reverse image by Canadian artist Trevor Tennant 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.
Special Features:
- This stunning cupronickel 25-cent coin featuring a mallard mating pair in full colour is sure to match the Royal Canadian Mint’s highly successful, sold-out painted bird coins in popularity.
- A unique opportunity to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Ducks Unlimited Canada with a keepsake whose aesthetic appeal stands on its own.
- Melding the Royal Canadian Mint’s world-renowned artistry and craftsmanship with its exceptional technical skill for full-colour imagery, this coin is an excellent gift for bird aficionados, conservationists, nature lovers, and collectors of beautiful and unique coins.
Specifications
Face Value: 25 cents
Composition: Cupronickel
Diameter (mm):35
Edge: Plain
Finish: Specimen
Certificate: Serialized
Artist: Trevor Tennant
Packaging
Coin is encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint branded maroon clamshell case lined with flock and protected by a black sleeve.
Complete Certificate Text:
Celebrating 75 Years of Ducks Unlimited Canada:
The Mallard—Icon of Canadian Wetlands
A mallard pair floating placidly on still waters is an iconic Canadian image. Abundant throughout North America, the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is one of the continent’s most well-known and best-loved species of wild duck. One of the first to return to its home nesting grounds after winters spent in ice-free regions of the continent, this large surface-feeding, or “dabbling,” waterfowl is the species from which most domestic ducks originated.
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.
The mallard’s preferred habitats include wetlands, ponds, and prairie “potholes”— marshy areas where they can raise their ducklings in relative safety. These habitats provide plenty of vegetation, seeds, and nutrient-rich invertebrates to sustain the mallard’s varied diet throughout its life cycle.
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.
Conserving Canadian Wetlands for 75 Years: Ducks Unlimited Canada
The wetland habitats mallards depend on in Canada are at serious risk. We need immediate action to conserve wetlands – the natural areas where mallards and other waterfowl breed and raise their young – to ensure iconic Canadian moments like the one captured on this coin continue for years to come. In Canada, we lose 80 acres of wetlands every day. Without ongoing support from all Canadians, these essential areas may disappear. For 75 years, Ducks Unlimited Canada has been committed to wetland conservation, delivering science-based habitat projects as well as research, education and policy programs. You can continue the rich history of wetland conservation in Canada and help write a new chapter for waterfowl like the mallard.
