After a few months of indecision, my best friend decided to buy Pekin ducks to raise for their meat. However, before buying, he asked me whether Pekin ducks could fly. I told him categorically that Pekin ducks are incapable of flying. He raised this question because he didn’t want his flocks to be flying off when they had grown their wings.
Such a question is also the frequent question I often get from those who want to kickstart their duck farms. They want to ensure that the duck breed they will buy will not fly off when their wings become fully developed, putting to naught all their effort to raise them.
Pekin Ducks, of course, have the instinct to fly. Yet, their large and heavy bodies hinder them from taking flight. Besides, their wings could not support flight.
What is the Maximum Height Pekin Ducks Can Fly?
If you would like to build a fence for your Pekin ducks to keep and hedge them inside, you might as well know how high they could fly. Pekin ducks have wings not meant for flying. Besides, their bodies are heavy. But they can still raise their bodies off the ground. Moreover, they got the instinct to fly.
Once they try to flap their wings, they can reach two to three feet off the ground. Pekin ducks, of course, descended from Mallard ducks. Mallards are able flyers. So, it is reasonable to say that Pekin ducks used to take flight, but, over time, they lost that capability.
Pekin ducks, of course, are a product of the deliberate breeding of ducks by humans. Over the centuries, duck breeders have been trying to produce ducks that are larger and meatier but could not fly. They created these types of ducks in the form of Pekin ducks. As a farm owner, you can sleep well knowing your ducks are grounded.
Reasons Why Pekin Ducks Can’t Fly Like Bird
Birds have diversified over the years. Some birds evolved into flyers, while some were grounded and could not fly. Similarly, the Pekin ducks evolved from Mallards. Mallards are abled flyers, but Pekin ducks did not inherit this trait of Mallard. In fact, breeders muted the genes that allow Mallard ducks to fly, resulting in a flightless duck called the Pekin duck. There are succinct reasons why Pekin ducks could no longer fly, and these reasons are the following:
Too Heavy
Pekin ducks could not fly because of their heavy weight. Their wings—although meant to flap—could not support the weight of Pekin ducks. Skinnier birds will have no issue flying if they have healthy wings. But the Pekin ducks are heavy. As such, their wings cannot support their weight. The weight of Pekin ducks ranges from nine to twelve pounds which is pretty heavy for their wings.
Supposing the Pekin ducks could fly. Sooner or later, they would fall back to the ground because their wings could not sustain them in the air. They would barely make two to three minutes of flight. So, flying will become very enervating for them.
Pekin Ducks Come with Weak Wings
If you inspect the physical attributes of Pekin ducks, you will notice that they have weak wings. They also have tiny wings, incapable of staying buoyant in the air. With these little wings, Pekin ducks stay grounded during their lifetime.
Ducks that could fly have wings that are as long as their bodies or even longer. Yet, the Pekin ducks have smaller and weaker wings. Even if they have strong wing muscles, their muscles will tire quickly given the weak and small wings.
Bigger Size of their Bodies
Another hindrance for the Pekin ducks to fly is their large body size. Their body size makes them incapable of floating in the air. Of course, you may say that airplanes are way more extensive than the body of the Pekin duck. Yet, planes have potent engines. In the case of Pekin ducks, they don’t have powerful engines. They only have little wings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Aside from knowing the reasons why Pekin ducks could not fly, you can also check out the following FAQs about Pekin ducks, for they might also be the questions you have in mind:
Are Pekin Ducks Incapable of Flying?
Pekin ducks are not incapable of raising themselves off the ground. They could lift their bodies off the ground two to three feet high. However, they cannot sustain it given the abovementioned limitations. Pekin ducks would sometimes attempt to fly, but they could only manage to fly a few feet above the ground. Moreover, they look funny when they try to fly.
Are the Wings of Pekin Ducks Pretty Useless?
Well, no body part is useless in this physical world. Long ago, the human appendix was said to be useless. Yet, recent studies say it has some purposes. Similarly, the wings of Pekin ducks may not serve as a flight instrument. Yet, they function as stabilizers, keeping the Pekin ducks balanced when they jump, walk, run, or swim.
Can Pekin Ducks Fly Up to Three Feet High?
Well, strictly speaking, Pekin ducks could not fly because flying three feet above the ground isn’t considered actual flying. So, scientifically, Pekin ducks belong to the flightless bird category. This act of flying is more of jumping, not flying.
Are All Ducks Flightless Birds?
Not all ducks are flightless birds. As you study the different breeds of ducks, you will discover that some ducks can fly. The Mallards, for example, can fly the same way that the Calls, Muscovy, and East Indies could fly. However, they do not take flight in the same way that ordinary birds would.
Furthermore, almost every domestic duck could not fly. The reason is that their owners would usually clip their wings to make them incapable of flying.
What is the Use of the Wings of Pekin Ducks?
As mentioned above, even if Pekin ducks cannot use their wings for flight, they still use them for other purposes. They use them, for example, to stabilize their bodies while walking, running, or jumping. Besides, they use their wings to keep their bodies dry.
Their feathers also come with a protective coating that serves as waterproof protection. They also use them to keep their bodies warm during the cold seasons.
Pekin ducks can also use their wings when they swim. These wings enable them to glide easily, allowing them to wade through the waters efficiently.
Conclusion
There are succinct reasons why Pekin ducks can’t fly despite descending from Mallards capable of flying. Pekin ducks, of course, have been bred for their meat. As such, they were designed not to take flight but to be grounded on the farm.
Over time, Pekin ducks have become heavier and heavier. Being heavier, they could no longer raise their bodies off the ground, given their weak and puny wings. You can quickly grow them on a farm without worrying about them taking off and migrating to other places.
