Why do female Mallard ducks pick the most colorful male duck to mate with?

Question

This is my homework question and i can't find it anywhere! Please help, i don't know why they pick the most colorful duck to mate with. The females pick, i know that... any help?

Answer 1

Well the healthy the male the brighter the feathers!! The female picks the male with the color fullest and brightest feathers because it shows he is very healthy. And the healthier the male the better for the babies!

Answer 2

Females look for the healthiest ones, which are the most colorful. This is because of it's instinct.

Answer 3

Because they want to have the most beautiful babies possible.

Answer 4

the prettier the feathers the more strong they are, as in they have enough good health to make the pretty feathers. also they probably want pretty ducklings. i mean would you rather have some strange ugly person or strange hot person ? lol

Answer 5

In many bird species, the males are more colorful than the females.  The colors can be seen as an indicator of health, and I also suspect that her more subdued colors will keep her and the chicks safer (the predators will notice him first).