- Mallard Ducks are common year-round residents and winter visitors in southern Arizona - They thrive in artificial and natural wetland habitats, including urban park ponds, golf course water features, and agricultural canals throughout the Sonoran Desert - While the standard Northern Mallard (Anas Platyrhynchos) is a highly visible resident and winter migrant, southern Arizona is also home to a very closely related native species called the Mexican Duck (Anas diazi)