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Anas platyrhynchos
5-10 Years
Ducks are water-loving birds with webbed feet, making them great swimmers. They have soft feathers and a distinctive quack. Ducks enjoy waddling around on land and love to swim in ponds, lakes, and rivers. They eat plants, insects, and small fish, and are known for being friendly and social!
Related to swans and geese, ducks are also known as WATERFOWLS because they are usually found near water.
Ducks were once wild birds, until they were domesticated by the Chinese over 1000 years ago, and can be found anywhere in the world except Antartica which is too cold for them.
They have webbed feet which are designed for swimming and act like paddles. This is why they waddle instead of walk. They also have a special gland that produces oil near their tail which spreads and covers its outer coat of feathers, making them waterproof. Underneath this they have fluffy soft feathers to keep them warm. As they can turn their heads completely backwards a duck preens (cleans) itself by putting its beak into its feathers on their wings, breast and back.
Usually looking for a mate in the winter, drakes will use their brightly coloured feathers to attract a female duck. She will then lead him to their breeding ground in the Spring, which is usually where she was hatched herself. The drake will guard this territory whilst she builds her nest, with reeds or grass.
Once she has laid between 5 and 12 eggs she will sit on them, until they hatch, whilst the drake will spend his time with the other drakes.
The eggs will normally hatch in 28 days, except for the Muscovy duck which takes about 35 days.
The female ducks are usually a dull brown colour, so they can hide from their enemies whilst they are protecting their young in the nest.
The mother duck will keep her ducklings together to keep them safe. They develop their feathers really fast and are able to fly within 5-8 weeks.
Some species of ducks migrate or travel large distances every year to breed. It’s usually to somewhere warm and could be thousands of miles away. When they are ready to fly all the ducks will gather in flocks to migrate together in a V shape or a long line.
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