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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing ducks. Ducks are classified in the same family as geese and swans. Generally speaking, ducks can be told apart from geese and swans because they’re the smallest of these waterfowl. Ducks have shorter necks, shorter wings, and come in more diverse colors. Ducks show more sexual dimorphism than swans or geese. Sexual dimorphism is when the males and females of a species appear different from each other. See the difference between this male and female mallard? A male duck is called a drake and a female is called a hen; their babies are called ducklings. Ducks molt, or drop, their feathers twice a year, usually after breeding and then again a few months or weeks later depending on the species. During this time, drakes are in their eclipse phase and look more like a female of their species.

There are over one hundred living duck species, but not all of them are commonly called “duck”. Some have multiple common names, and others are known as a “goose” even though they’re still technically considered “ducks”. Typically they’re split into three groups based on their behavior. There are the dabbling ducks who stick their butt up in the air while they eat; the diving ducks who fully submerge themselves to look for food; and the perching ducks who nest in tree cavities and perch on tree branches. Of course, to make things a little more confusing, there are also sea ducks and stifftails who are part of the diving ducks, whistling ducks who are also known as tree ducks and do a lot of perching, and steamer ducks who hardly ever fly. And these groups change as more information is learned. All of this is to say, there isn’t one distinct group for all the ducks, so it’s not easy to generalize about these fantastic animals!

What we can say is that ducks are birds. They have feathers and they are considered waterfowl because they live in habitats that include water. They live worldwide except Antarctica. Ducks, like swans and geese, don’t feel cold in their feet, so they can handle cold weather including freezing water. Their feathers are waterproof and help keep them buoyant on the water’s surface. Ducks have a bill tipped with a nail that helps them dig up food. A duck’s diet ranges from aquatic vegetation to insects, worms, molluscs, fish, and more!

In size, ducks average about two pounds (907 grams) in weight and have a three foot (91cm) wingspan. The longest recorded duck lifespan was that of a mallard who lived to be 27 years old. On average they do not live this long due to predation. Predators to ducks include snapping turtles, large fish, crocodiles, foxes, and other birds like peregrine falcons, hawks, owls, and herons. Ducklings are more susceptible to predation than adults but their mothers defend them when they can.

Ducks lay eggs in a nest that may be crudely constructed on the ground or high up in a tree cavity. The nesting season correlates with the time of the year when there is the highest amount of food, so spring and summer in temperate areas and the wet season in tropical areas. Ducks form pairs though these typically only last a single season. The eggs are incubated for 22 to 40 days and the ducklings can swim within hours of hatching. It takes five to ten weeks for them to become independent of their parents and one to two years for them to reach reproductive maturity. In the wild, on average, they live to be about five years old.

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