30 Amazing and Interesting Facts about Ducks | Amazing Facts 4U
- The duck is a number of species in the Anatidae family of birds which include swans and geese but the duck is the smallest of them all.
- Ducks are found on every continent except Antarctica.
- Ducks have been domesticated as pets and farm animals for more than 500 years. All domestic ducks have descended from either the mallard or the Muscovy duck.
- There are more than 40 breeds of domestic duck. The most common variety is the white Pekin duck ( Long Island duck) which is the most common variety raised for eggs and meat.
- A baby duck is called a duckling, and an adult male is a drake. An adult female duck is called a hen or a duck, and a group of ducks can be called a raft, team, or paddling.
- Ducks are birds that are also called “waterfowls” because they are normally found in places with water like marshes, oceans, rivers, ponds, and lakes. They love water.
- Male ducks are usually brightly colored with green or chestnut brown throats. In contrast, females are brown all over.
- Ducks have rows of small bristles lining their mouth which allow them to filter water out of their beaks without losing their food, a filtering system similar to that of the blue whale.
- Amazingly only the females actually quack. All ducks do however have a range of communicative calls, including grunts and whistles. It is a myth that a duck’s quack won’t echo. It does.
- Ducks have webbed feet which allow them to move with ease in water as well as permit them to easily walk on slippery river banks.
- Ducks use their beaks for feeding and for grooming themselves. They will pick dirt or debris out of their feathers.
- Ducks have a hard nail at the tip of their bills and comb-like teeth on the sides of their bills to help them eat their food.
- Ducks are omnivorous, opportunistic eaters and will eat grass, aquatic plants, insects, seeds, fruit, fish, crustaceans, etc.
- Depending on the species, a duck can live between 2 and 12 years.
- Ducks’ feathers have evolved to be highly waterproof. A special gland that produces oil is located near the duck’s tail. This oil spreads and covers the outer coat of the duck’s feathers, making it water-proof.
- Ducks keep their feathers clean by preening very often. They do this by putting their heads in funny positions and putting their beaks into their body.
- The amazing fact is that the ducks’ feet have no nerves or blood vessels. Their feet do not feel the cold enabling them to swim in icy water and walk-in ice and snow.
- Amazingly ducks have three eyelids!
- Most duck species are monogamous for a breeding season but they do not mate for life.
- Ducks have a breeding season, they are vulnerable during this time as the breeding stops them from flying.
- Once the female lays 5-12 eggs, she will start to sit on her eggs to keep them warm so that they can hatch into ducklings. The males have no role to play. The eggs will usually hatch within 28 days.
- Amazingly ducklings are covered with down and able to walk and leave the nest just a few hours after hatching.
- Female ducks will lead their young ducklings up to half a mile from their nest site overland to find a suitable water area for swimming and feeding.
- When building a nest, female ducks will line the nest with soft down feathers which they pluck from their own breast to provide the best possible insulation and cushioning for the eggs.
- Amazingly a Red-Breasted Merganser, one of the duck species was once recorded flying at just over 100 miles per hour, whilst being pursued by a plane.
- Ducks normally migrate between 200 and 4,000 feet in the air but are capable of reaching far greater heights. They have been spotted at an altitude of 21,000 feet!
- Many duck species will migrate for thousands of miles. Some can reach speeds beyond 60 mph when flying.
- While migrating some ducks can fly up to 332 miles in a single day! Ducks fly in a “V” shape. This shape makes flying easier.
- Because of their familiarity and comic nature, ducks are often featured as fictional characters. The two most famous fictional ducks are Disney’s Donald Duck, who premiered in 1934, and Warner Bros. Daffy Duck, who premiered in 1937.
- In Celtic symbolism, the duck represents honesty, simplicity, and resourcefulness. They are also viewed as sensitive and graceful and respected for their beauty and adaptation to nature.
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