Malmö. Last night. Gorgeous evening light, with the Öresund Bridge doing its usual quiet thing in the background. How could I not whip out my five-year-old iPhone and at least try to capture this beautiful bird?

This is not just any duck, but what, according to an informed source (ChatGPT), is a female mallard – gräsandshona in Swedish. She stood there on the wooden deck, checking out the view and everyone who came by as if she owned the place, which, given the confidence of most ducks around here, she probably believes she does.

The mottled brown feathers, perfect camouflage for nesting and for looking understated, are the giveaway that she is a she. The male mallard gets the green head and all the attention. The female gets practicality, elegance and survival skills. A better deal, if you ask me.

Look closely and you’ll see the blue-purple flash on the wing, apparently called the “speculum”.

Mallards are among the most common ducks in Sweden. They are adaptable, pushy, oddly dignified and always seem to know exactly where the snacks are.

This one had the bridge, the sea, the sunset and the pose. All she lacked was an agent.