Quite frankly, if you’re not familiar with the different classifications of ducks, you might assume that ducks are the typical small to medium-sized water birds you often see around, incapable of flying but highly capable of swimming. Ducks, however, have many types, and you might get confused about the varieties of ducks out there.
Swans and geese are also in the same family as ducks which further adds to the confusion about ducks. Similarly, the same duck species might get referred to differently. Thus, many people usually have a hazy idea about ducks and the different types of ducks.
Understanding Ducks Further
Although ducks have different types, all male ducks get referred to as drakes. Female ducks are called duck hens, and baby ducks are called ducklings. Ducks usually lay eggs during spring, while female ducks usually find their mate during winter. Moreover, wild female ducks usually lead their partners back to their breeding spots and move together during spring.
The female ducks or hens lay their eggs and incubate them, while some drakes might stay around to guard and defend against predators. However, other drakes will not do that; instead, they would go on migrating.
Drakes often sport brilliant and vibrant colors during the mating season to pique the attention of female ducks. Once the breeding season is over, the male ducks will molt and takes duller colors of feathers. Female ducks, however, have duller colors and can camouflage themselves while brooding.
General Features of Ducks
Although ducks have varying types and classifications, they all have basic features. A slight variation in these basic features can help you determine the kind of ducks you are dealing with. So, it will be best to learn the following different succinct features of ducks:
Crown: As humans have hair, ducks also have crowns. The crown is the head’s top of the bird. You can check the crown if they are flatter or are more peaked. In doing so, you can identify a duck by its crown.
Bill: You might mistake the bill and call it beak. Yet, in the case of ducks, their beak is referred to as bills. The bill is like a spatula that helps ducks filter food from the water.
Nail: The bill’s tip comes with a slightly thicker tip. This tip gets referred to as the nail. This nail enables the duck to dig for food. The nail might also sport a more prominent color than the rest of the bill or may have a different color altogether.
Throat: The neck’s front is called the throat. You can check for the ring at the neck’s base that can set off the neck from the plumage.
Auriculars: Ducks have auriculars referred to likewise as duck’s cheeks. You will sometimes find a distinct color on the auriculars.
Wing: Ducks have wings, which may have different and distinct colors from the body. Ducks use their wings for flying. But ducks also use them to balance themselves while they swim and move around. The wings of ducks can offer a way of identifying the type of ducks.
Breast: The chest or the breast is apparent even if the duck swims or flies. You can check for the color of the chest and other apparent patterns. You should also note where the color of the breast and the underparts meet.
Rump: The rump is often hidden from sight by the folded wings. Yet, when you find or see them, you can note their color or pattern to identify the type of duck you have. You can also identify a duck type by how the rump gets positioned. Dabbling ducks, for example, will have a rump that tips forward onto the water when feeding.
Tail: Most ducks come with short tails. Yet, the spotting and overall colors of the tail can help you identify ducks. You can note the length of the tail and the unusual feathers you’ll find in the tail. Noting the colors and length can help you identify the duck type.
Speculum: Many ducks have a patch of iridescent feathers (secondary) on their wings. This patch of colors is called the speculum. You should note the size and colors of the patch because they will help you identify the duck type likewise.
Classifications of Ducks
As mentioned above, you can classify ducks into different types. If you are serious about raising and breeding ducks, it will help to know the following different types of ducks:
1) Dabbling Ducks
You may find ducks that stick their rump out of the water while feeding. These ducks, of course, are referred to as dabbling ducks or dipping ducks. Around 38 duck species belong to the dabbling duck category.
Dabbling ducks primarily feed on seeds, plants, and insects. They forage through mud and water. They skim the water top for food.
Dabbling ducks seldom submerge themselves into the water, and you can easily spot them while they noisily leave the water. They are found worldwide in the Northern Hemisphere’s inland waters.
2) Diving Ducks
You can also find diving ducks that could dive underneath the water surface to find food. They could catch fish and insects and even eat aquatic plants. They get also referred to as sea ducks and are found more often in rivers, deep lakes, and coastal bays. There are around twenty species of diving ducks.
Diving ducks are less comfortable on the land. As such, you will more often find them in water. They could take off from water, and they are strong fliers once afloat.
3) Eider
Eider is another type of duck found in the UK. It is the fastest flying duck and the heaviest duck likewise. It is a veritable sea duck, and you seldom see it away from the coasts. It is dependent on coastal mollusks for its food, and for this reason, mussel farmers dislike these ducks.
Eiders are sociable ducks, and they usually stay near the shores. You will also see them riding the swell along the sandy bay or straddling the breaking waves.
You will often find these ducks in northern regions or Arctic habitats. They are famous for the insulating capabilities of their feathers, protecting them from the harsh and bitter cold of the Arctic.
In the past, they were hunted for their feathers, though nowadays, they belong to protected wild animals. Among the eider species are King Eider and Steller’s.
4) Merganser
Merganser is a large sea duck that inhabits the lakes and rivers of many forested regions in North America, Asia, and Europe. They feed mainly on fish and nest in tree holes. The mergansers are small, streamlined ducks with narrow, serrated hooked bills.
They are also the only duck type that consumes much fish. Their bills are designed for hunting, and they could hunt ferociously. Species of this duck type include red-breasted, hooded, and common merganser.
5) Perching Duck
You will find the perching ducks in the wet woodlands of the tropics. They are popular for nesting in tree holes or perching on high branches. Hence, they get referred to as perching ducks. They got long toes like claws that enable them to perch.
They feed on snails, crabs, larvae, and other aquatic animals. They also have bright colors and white wings with black linings. The Perching duck’s drakes come in more vibrant colors.
They also have more pronounced talons to grip the branches well. You will often find them perching in tree branches along the wooded waterways. They may also nest high in the tree. Examples of perching ducks include Pink-eared, Muscovy, and mandarin ducks.
6) Sea-duck
You will often see the sea ducks along the coasts. They are marine birds. During the nesting season, you will find them further inland. Sea-ducks are bulky birds that have special glands that can tolerate saltwater without causing them to dehydrate. These duck types include scoters, long-tailed, goldeneyes, eiders, and mergansers.
7) Stifftail
The stifftails come with spiky stiff tails, which they utilize like a rudder while they swim. They also hold their tails at an angle or vertically to express the idea that an area is their territory or breeding ground.
These ducks feature colorful bills and very compact bodies. Examples of stifftail include masked ducks, ruddy ducks, and blue-billed ducks.
8) Teals
Teals have bright colors and distinctive plumage. They are considered dabbling ducks and come with fantastic speculum colors. They like feeding along the water surface instead of tipping up, though they occasionally tip up.
Hunters like to hunt teals; these ducks belong to managed game birds. Examples of teals include blue-winged, green-winged, and silver teal.
9) Whistling Ducks
Whistling ducks are tropical ducks that feature long legs and necks. With these features, you might mistake them for geese. This type of duck got named for the shrill whistling sound it makes. You can hear this whistling call even from a distance.
Thus, this type of duck is often mistaken for other birds. Examples of whistling ducks include black-bellied, white-faced, and fulvous whistling ducks.
10) Domestic Ducks
Domestic ducks are ducks that are raised for their meat, eggs, or as pets. These ducks congregate in urban and suburban ponds. They have indistinct plumage and come in various sizes and colors.
Important Facts About Ducks
Aside from knowing the different types of ducks and their distinct anatomy, it will also help if you are cognizant of the following interesting facts about ducks:
- Ducks inhabit every continent except Antarctica.
- People have long been domesticating ducks for their meat and eggs. Ducks have been used as pets as well.
- Wild ducks live for twenty years or more, and the oldest known ducks have lived for twenty-seven years.
- The webbed feet of ducks don’t have nerves. Hence, they never feel cold.
- Ducks have three eyelids, wherein the third eyelid functions as a protective shield when they are under water.
- The feathers of ducks are waterproof, keeping the underlayer feathers dry.
- Preening is the duck’s way of cleaning itself.
- Ducks are social beings who want to be together with other ducks. Most ducks sleep together.
Aside from knowing the essential facts, you might also have questions in your mind about ducks. If you have questions, you can check out the following FAQs, for they might also be the questions you have in mind:
Are Swans and Geese Considered Ducks?
Geese and swans are not ducks. However, they are of the same family but different species. As such, they look somewhat similar to ducks.
What is the Scientific Classification of Ducks?
Ducks belong to Anatidae’s family, the Anseriformes’ order, and the Aves’ class.
What is the Smallest Duck?
The omestic call duck is the smallest, weighing 20 to 26 ounces. You might mistake this duck for a toy because it looks like a stuffed animal.
Conclusion
Ducks are lovely creatures, and they come in a wide array of types and colors. You can raise them for their meat or eggs. Nevertheless, you can also grow them as pets. If you want a friendly duck as a pet, you can choose Muscovy ducks, for example, because these ducks are the best duck options for pets. You can also go for Swedish Blue Ducks which are suitable for their docile behavior. Other ducks that are good as pets include Magpie, Pekin, Khaki Campbell, and Mallards.
Having read the above-mentioned different types of ducks and the essential facts about ducks, you would think that ducks are a highly diversified type of animal. Ducks, however, have significantly evolved and have good anatomy for surviving extreme weather.
