Duck: Difference between revisions
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{{Taxobox |
{{Taxobox |
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| name = Ducks |
| name = Ducks |
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| image = |
| image = Ducksdfasdf |
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Most ducks have a asdfasdfasdfasdfasdf |
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| image_width = 250px |
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| image_caption = A duck (female) and drake (male) [[Mallard]] |
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| regnum = [[Animal]]ia |
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| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] |
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| classis = [[bird|Aves]] |
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| ordo = [[Anseriformes]] |
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| familia = [[Anatidae]] |
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| subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies |
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| subdivision = |
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[[Dendrocygninae]]<br/> |
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[[Oxyurinae]]<br/> |
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[[Anatinae]]<br/> |
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[[Aythyinae]]<br/> |
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[[Merginae]] |
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}} |
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'''Duck''' is the common name for a number of species in the [[Anatidae]] family of [[bird]]s. The ducks are divided between several subfamilies listed in full in the [[Anatidae]] article. Ducks are mostly aquatic birds, mostly smaller than their relatives the [[swan]]s and [[goose|geese]], and may be found in both [[fresh water]] and [[sea water]]. |
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Most ducks have a wide flat [[beak]] adapted for [[dredging]]. They exploit a variety of food sources such as [[Poaceae|grass]]es, [[aquatic plant]]s, [[fish]], [[insect]]s, small [[amphibian]]s<ref>[http://icons.wunderground.com/data/wximagenew/t/tomekandjola/1754.jpg Photo of a duck eating a frog]</ref>, [[worm]]s, and small [[mollusc]]s. |
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Ducks are sometimes confused with several types of unrelated [[water fowl|water birds]] with similar forms, such as [[loon]]s or divers, [[grebe]]s, [[Rallidae|gallinule]]s, and [[coot]]s. |
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Many species of duck are temporarily flightless while [[moult]]ing; they seek out protected habitat with good food supplies during this period. This moult typically precedes [[bird migration|migration]]. |
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Some duck species, mainly those breeding in the temperate and Arctic [[Northern Hemisphere]], are migratory; those in the tropics, however, are generally not. Some ducks, particularly in [[Australia]] where rainfall is patchy and erratic, are nomadic, seeking out the temporary lakes and pools that form after localised heavy rain. {{Fact|date=December 2007}} |
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==Types of ducks, and feeding== |
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[[Diving duck]]s and [[sea duck]]s forage deep underwater. To be able to submerge more easily, the diving ducks are heavier than dabbling ducks, and therefore have more difficulty taking off to fly. |
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[[Dabbling duck]]s feed on the surface of water or on land, or as deep as they can reach by up-ending without completely submerging. <ref> |
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{{cite web |
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| last = Ogden |
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| first = Evans |
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| title = Dabbling Ducks |
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| publisher = CWE |
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| url = http://www.sfu.ca/biology/wildberg/species/dabbducks.html |
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| accessdate = 2006-11-02 }} |
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</ref> Along the inside of the beak they have tiny rows of plates called [[Lamella (zoology)|lamellae]] like a whale's [[baleen]]. These let them filter water out of the side of their beaks and keep food inside. |
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A few specialized species such as the [[smew]], [[Common Merganser|goosander]], and the [[merganser]]s are adapted to catch and swallow large fish. |
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In the [[Mallard]]:<!-- personal observation--> |
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* The tongue is a flat plate, and on the tongue's back end is a short liftable flap with about 18 short spikes on for pushing struggling prey and other food down its throat. |
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* There is no [[cere]], and the [[nostril]]s are in the hard part of the beak, as a soft cere would be liable to injury when the duck dredges for food among submerged debris and stones. |
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==Breeding== |
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The males (drakes) of northern species often have extravagant [[plumage]], but that is [[moult]]ed in summer to give a more female-like appearance, the "eclipse" plumage. Southern resident species typically show less [[sexual dimorphism]]. |
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Some people use "duck" specifically for adult females and "drake" for adult males, for the species described here; others use "hen" and "drake", respectively. |
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A duckling is a young duck.<ref>"Duckling". The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition |
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Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Republished by dictionary.com, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/duckling, Accessed 05-01-2008.</ref> or baby duck.<ref>"Duckling". Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary (Beta Version), © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd., Republished by dictionary.com, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/duckling, Accessed 05-01-2008.</ref> |
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==Predators== |
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A worldwide group like the ducks has many predators. Ducklings are particularly vulnerable, since their inability to fly makes them easy prey not only for avian hunters but also large fish like [[Esox|pike]], [[crocodilia]]ns, and other aquatic hunters, including fish-eating birds such as [[heron]]s. Ducks' nests may be raided by land-based predators, and brooding females may sometimes be caught unaware on the nest by [[mammal]]s (e.g. [[fox]]es) and large birds, including [[hawk]]s and [[eagle]]s. |
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Adult ducks are fast fliers, but may be caught on the water by large aquatic predators. This can occasionally include fish such as the [[Muskellunge|muskie]] in North America or the [[Esox|pike]] in [[Europe]]. In flight, ducks are safe from all but a few [[predator]]s such as [[humans]] and the [[Peregrine Falcon]], which regularly uses its speed and strength to catch ducks. |
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==Etymology== |
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The word '''duck''' (from [[Old English language|Anglo-Saxon]] ''dūce''), meaning the bird, came from the verb "to duck" (from Anglo-Saxon supposed *''dūcan'') meaning "to bend down low as if to get under something" or "to dive", because of the way many species in the [[dabbling duck]] group feed by upending (compare [[Dutch language|Dutch]] ''duiken'', [[German language|German]] ''tauchen'' = "to dive"). |
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This happened because the older [[Old English language|Anglo-Saxon]] words ''ened'' (= "duck") and ''ende'' (= "end") came to be pronounced the same: other Germanic languages still have similar words for "duck" and "end": for example, Dutch ''eend'' = "duck", ''eind'' = "end", German ''ente'' = "duck", ''ende'' = "end"; this similarity goes back to [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]]: compare [[Latin]] ''anas'' ([[stem (linguistics)|stem]] ''anat-'') = "duck", [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]] ''antis'' = "duck", [[Ancient Greek language|Ancient Greek]] νησσα, νηττα (''nēssa'', ''nētta'') = "duck"; [[Sanskrit]] ''anta'' = "end". |
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==Hunting, domestication, and urbanization== |
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[[Image:2004duck.PNG|thumb|right|Duck headcount in 2004]] |
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In many areas, wild ducks of various species (including ducks farmed and released into the wild) are hunted for food or sport, by [[shooting]], or formerly by [[decoy]]s. From this came the expression "a sitting duck", which means "an easy target". |
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Ducks have many economic uses, being [[farm]]ed for their [[duck (food)|meat]], [[Egg (food)|egg]]s, [[feather]]s, (particularly their [[down feathers|down]]). They are also kept and bred by aviculturists and often displayed in zoos. All [[domesticated duck|domestic ducks]] are descended from the wild [[Mallard]] ''Anas platyrhynchos'', except the [[Muscovy Duck]] <ref> |
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{{cite web |
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| last = |
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| title = Mallard - Nature Notes |
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| publisher = Ducks Unlimited Canada |
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| url = http://www.ducks.ca/resource/general/naturenotes/mallard.html |
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| accessdate = 2006-11-02 }} |
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</ref>. Many domestic breeds have become much larger than their wild ancestor, with a "hull length" (from base of neck to base of tail) of 30 cm (12 inches) or more and routinely able to swallow an adult [[Great Britain|British]] [[Common Frog]] ''Rana temporaria'' whole. |
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[[Foie gras]] is often made using the [[liver]] of domestic ducks, rather than of [[geese]]. |
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Despite widespread misconceptions, most ducks other than female [[Mallard]]s and [[domestic duck]]s do not "quack"; for example, the [[Greater Scaup|scaup]] makes a noise like "scaup", which its name came from. |
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A common [[urban legend]] says that quacks do not echo<ref> |
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{{cite web |
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| last = Amos |
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| first = Jonathan |
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| title = Sound science is quackers |
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| publisher = BBC News |
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| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3086890.stm |
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| accessdate = 2006-11-02 }} |
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</ref>, however this has been [[MythBusters (season 1)#Does a Duck.27s Quack Echo.3F|shown to be false]]. |
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Ducks have become an accepted presence in populated areas. Migration patterns have changed such that many species remain in an area during the winter months. In spring and early summer ducks sometimes influence human activity through their nesting; sometimes a duck pair nests well away from water, needing a long trek to water for the hatchlings: this sometimes causes an urgent [[wildlife rescue]] operation (e.g. by the [[RSPCA]]) if the duck nested somewhere unsuitable like in a small enclosed [[courtyard]]. |
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[[FAO]] reports that [[China]] is the top duck market in 2004 followed by [[Vietnam]] and other [[South East Asia]]n countries. |
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==Humor== |
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In [[2002]], [[psychologist]] [[Richard Wiseman]] and [[colleague]]s at the [[University of Hertfordshire]] ([[United Kingdom|UK]]) finished a year-long [[LaughLab]] [[experiment]], concluding that, of the animals in the world, the duck is the type that attracts most [[humour|humor]] and silliness; he said "If you're going to tell a [[joke]] involving an animal, make it a duck." The word "duck" may have become an [[inherently funny word]] in many [[languages]] because ducks are seen as a silly animal, and their odd appearance compared to other birds. Of the many [[List of fictional ducks|ducks in fiction]], many are silly [[cartoon]] characters like [[Daffy Duck]] (see the ''[[New Scientist]]'' article [http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn2876] mentioning humor in the word "duck"). |
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In [[Mexico]] the word "Patito" (= "duckling") is used to refer to something unimportant, cheap, or generic. |
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=="Quacks like a duck"== |
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{{seealso|Duck test}} |
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The expression "quacks like a duck" is sometimes a short form for "It looks like a duck, it quacks like a duck, it swims like a duck, so it's a duck.", used as [[proverb]]ial to counter abstruse arguments that something is not what it appears to be. |
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The expression is part of a conceptual framework for testing (see [[Duck test]]) of some computer systems. In a sense, this usage results from a need for 'behavioral' analysis of an entity (virtual or otherwise) in an attempt to know what it is or whether it is what is 'claimed' of it (by itself or another). One can even argue several philosophical points (see [[Operational definition]]). But, it's really in 'computing' where entities emerge (evolve) that are not 'covered' by [[theory]] or some known 'meta' view where this idea has taken hold, especially in forms related to [[end-user computing|advanced techniques]]. (As aforementioned though, very few ducks actually do "quack") |
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[[Image:Mocheducklarcomuseum.jpg|thumb|right|175px|Moche Duck. [[Larco Museum|Larco Museum Collection]] Lima, Peru.]] |
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==Miscellaneous== |
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{{Trivia|date=September 2007}} |
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*Some ancient Egyptian art depicts some ships of the [[Sea Peoples]] with ornamental [[prow]]s shaped like a duck's head.<ref> |
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{{cite web |
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| last = Cornelius |
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| first = |
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| title = The Battle of the Nile |
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| publisher = The South African Military History Society |
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| url = http://rapidttp.com/milhist/vol074ic.html |
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| accessdate = 2006-11-02 }} |
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</ref> |
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*In 2007, a duck in [[Tallahassee, Florida]] survived a gunshot wound and two days stored in a refrigerator whilst presumed dead. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6283677.stm] The duck was operated on and was again presumed dead after a bad reaction to anesthesia. After further procedure the duck lived. [http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=48226] |
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*A rare genetic mutation sees some ducks born with four legs (ie six limbs): this is a type of [[polymelia]]. [http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-07/07/content_4806500.htm] <!--[http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/02/17/duck.legs.ap/] 404 --> |
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*The [[Moche]] people of ancient [[Peru]] worshipped nature.<ref> Benson, Elizabeth, The Mochica: A Culture of Peru. New York, NY: Praeger Press. 1972</ref> They placed emphasis on animals and often depicted ducks in their art. <ref>Berrin, Katherine & Larco Museum. ''The Spirit of Ancient Peru:Treasures from the [[Larco Museum|Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera]].'' New York: [[Thames and Hudson]], 1997.</ref> |
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==Gallery== |
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{{cleanup-gallery}} |
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<gallery> |
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Image:Duck_wings_outstretched.jpg|A [[Muscovy Duck]] stretching its wings in a [[Spring (hydrosphere)|freshwater spring]] |
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Image:Duck head.JPG|A [[Domesticated duck]] |
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Image:Brown Ducks.JPG|Some domesticated ducks |
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Image:Mallard_with_duckling.jpg|A Female Mallard with a duckling [[Mallard]] |
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Image:Comb duck.jpg|African [[Comb Duck]] |
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Image:duck-on-ground.jpg|[[Mallard]] drake |
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Image:ruddy.shelduck.arp.2.750pix.jpg|[[Ruddy Shelduck]] - not a true duck but a member of the [[Tadorninae]] |
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Image:Wood_duck_eclipse.jpg|Male [[Wood Duck]] in eclipse plumage |
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Image:Female Mallard.jpg|Female Mallard |
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Image:Mother duck with chicks.jpg|Female Mallard with ducklings |
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Image:Muscovy-duck-1.jpg|Male [[Muscovy Duck]] |
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Image:Mandarin.duck.arp.jpg|[[Mandarin Duck]] at Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre, Gloucestershire, England. |
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Image:Keralabackducks (75).JPG|Ducks in a pond |
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Image:Aa_ducks_and_geese_003.jpg|Ducks and geese in a yard in [[Manchester]], UK |
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Image:Indian Runner Duck.jpg|[[Indian Runner Duck]] |
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Image:Ringed teal.gif|[[Ringed Teal]] |
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Image:Red-crested.pochard.slimbridge.arp.jpg |[[Red-crested Pochard]] |
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Image:Male_muscovy_duck_on_grass.jpg| Male [[Muscovy Duck]] |
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Image:Duck 3a.jpg |
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Image:Mallard flying.jpg| A male mallard flying. |
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<!-- Deleted image removed: Image:101335214 76c587ec78.jpg| Mallard drake swimming --> |
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</gallery> |
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==See also== |
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{{wiktionarypar|duck}} |
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*[[Duck crossing]] |
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*[[Duck hunting]] |
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*[[Ducks Unlimited]] |
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*[[Domesticated duck]] — ducks kept as pets or show animals and for meat and eggs and down |
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*[[Duck pond]] |
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*[[List of fictional ducks]] |
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*[[Angel Wing]] - A disease common in ducks. |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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{{Commons|Duck}} |
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{{cookbook}} |
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*[http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/duckecho.htm "The quack doesn't echo" urban legend] (from [[Snopes.com]]) |
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*[http://www.omlet.co.uk/guide/guide.php?view=Ducks Guide to keeping ducks] |
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*[http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/familia.phtml?idFamilia=27 Duck videos] on the Internet Bird Collection |
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*[http://soundwaves.usgs.gov/2002/11/fieldwork.html Scientists Track Pintail-Duck Migration to Learn More About the Species' Population Decline] |
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*[http://www.ibiblio.org/pardo/birds/archive/archive2/msg00397.html Duck migration question] |
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*[http://www.ducks.org/ Ducks Unlimited Conservation] |
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*[http://seaducks.org/subjects/MIGRATION%20AND%20FLIGHT.htm list of books] (useful looking abstracts) |
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*[http://www.nrdc.org/greengate/wildlife/duckf.asp San Francisco Bay Area Duck Population] |
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*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/nature_20030616.shtml Birds on the Brink] ([[ruddy duck]]s' impact on [[white-headed duck]]s by [[crossbreeding]] in the wild) |
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*{{gutenberg|no=18884|name=Ducks at a Distance, by Rob Hines}} - A modern illustrated guide to identification of US waterfowl. |
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*[http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/research/story/0,9865,1432991,00.html Duck necrophilia] Necrophilia among ducks ruffles research feathers |
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[[Category:Ducks|*]] |
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[[Category:Heraldic birds]] |
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[[Category:Poultry]] |
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[[Category:Game birds]] |
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[[af:Eend]] |
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[[als:Ente]] |
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[[ang:Ened]] |
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[[ar:بط]] |
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[[ast:Coríu]] |
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[[zh-min-nan:Ah]] |
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[[bg:Патица]] |
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[[ca:Ànec]] |
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[[cs:Kachna]] |
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[[cy:Hwyaden]] |
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[[da:Egentlige andefugle]] |
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[[de:Ente]] |
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[[eml:Anàdra]] |
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[[es:Pato]] |
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[[eo:Anaso]] |
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[[fa:اردک]] |
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[[fr:Canard]] |
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[[fy:Einfûgels]] |
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[[gl:Pato]] |
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[[ko:오리]] |
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[[io:Anado]] |
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[[id:Bebek]] |
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[[is:Önd]] |
[[is:Önd]] |
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[[it:Anatra]] |
[[it:Anatra]] |
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[[ka:იხვები]] |
[[ka:იხვები]] |
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[[sw:Bata]] |
[[sw:Bata]] |
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[[ht: |
[[ht:tgsghtyjdetjerndefamilien]] |
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[[la:Anas (avis)]] |
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[[lt:Antis]] |
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[[ms:Itik]] |
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[[nl:Eenden]] |
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[[nds-nl:Ente]] |
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[[ja:鴨]] |
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[[no:Andefamilien]] |
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[[nn:Andefamilien]] |
[[nn:Andefamilien]] |
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[[oc:Guit]] |
[[oc:Guit]] |
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[[ |
[[ndsstyjple:Duck]] |
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[[pl:Kaczki]] |
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[[pt:Pato]] |
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[[qu:Pili]] |
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[[ru:Утки]] |
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[[simple:Duck]] |
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[[fi:Sorsat]] |
[[fi:Sorsat]] |
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[[sv:Änder]] |
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Revision as of 06:07, 4 March 2008
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- For duck as a food, see Duck (food); for other meanings, see Duck (disambiguation).
{{Taxobox | name = Ducks | image = Ducksdfasdf Most ducks have a asdfasdfasdfasdfasdf ndsstyjple:Duck