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{{About|the bird|duck as a food|Duck (food)|other meanings|Duck (disambiguation)}} |
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{{pp-semi-vandalism|small=yes}} |
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{{Taxobox |
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| name = Ducks |
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| image = Bucephala-albeola-010.jpg |
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| image_width = 250px |
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| image_caption = [[Bufflehead]] |
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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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| subfamilia = ''various'' |
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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 in the [[Anatidae]] family; they do not represent a [[clade|monophyletic group]] but a [[form taxon]], since [[swan]]s and [[goose|geese]] are not considered ducks. Ducks are mostly aquatic birds, mostly smaller than the swans and geese, and may be found in both fresh water and sea water. |
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Ducks are sometimes confused with several types of unrelated water birds with similar forms, such as [[loon]]s or divers, [[grebe]]s, [[Rallidae|gallinule]]s, and [[coot]]s. |
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==Etymology== |
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[[File:Cane Portrait Chevreuse.JPG|thumb|Female [[Mallard]]]] |
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The word ''duck'' comes from [[Old English]] *''dūce'' "diver", a derivative of the verb *''dūcan'' "to duck, bend down low as if to get under something, or dive", because of the way many species in the [[dabbling duck]] group feed by upending; compare with [[Dutch language|Dutch]] ''duiken'' and [[German language|German]] ''tauchen'' "to dive". |
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This word replaced [[Old English]] ''ened/ænid'' "duck", possibly to avoid confusion with other Old English words, like ''ende'' "end" with similar forms. Other Germanic languages still have similar words for "duck", for example, Dutch ''eend'' "duck" and German ''Ente'' "duck". The word ''ened/ænid'' was inherited from [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]]; compare: [[Latin]] ''anas'' "duck", [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]] ''ántis'' "duck", [[Ancient Greek language|Ancient Greek]] ''nēssa''/''nētta'' (νήσσα, νήττα) "duck", and [[Sanskrit]] ''ātí'' "water bird", among others. |
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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 in downy plumage<ref>{{cite web |title=Duckling |work=The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition |year=2006 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company |url= http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/duckling |accessdate=05-01-2008}}</ref> or baby duck;<ref>{{cite web |title=Duckling |work= Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary (Beta Version) |year=2000-2006 |publisher=K. Dictionaries Ltd |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/duckling |accessdate=05-01-2008 }}</ref> but in the food trade young adult ducks ready for roasting are sometimes labelled "duckling".{{citation needed|date=November 2010}} |
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==Morphology== |
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[[File:Mandarin.duck.arp.jpg|thumb|Male [[Mandarin Duck]]]] |
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The overall body plan of ducks is elongated and broad, and the ducks are also relatively long-necked, albeit not as long-necked as the geese and swans. The body shape of diving ducks varies somewhat from this in being more rounded. The bill is usually broad and contains serrated [[lamella (zoology)|lamella]]e which are particularly well defined in the filter-feeding species. In the case of some fishing species the bill is long and strongly serrated. The scaled legs are strong and well developed, and generally set far back on the body, more so in the highly aquatic species. The wings are very strong and are generally short and pointed, and the [[bird flight|flight]] of ducks requires fast continuous strokes, requiring in turn strong wing muscles. Three species of [[steamer duck]] are almost flightless, however. 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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The 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]], although there are exceptions like the [[Paradise Shelduck]] of [[New Zealand]] which is both strikingly sexually dimorphic and where the female's plumage is brighter than that of the male. The plumage of juvenile birds generally resembles that of the female. |
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==Behaviour== |
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===Feeding=== |
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[[File:Duck 1 filter teeth edit.jpg|thumb|[[Pecten (biology)|Pecten]] along the beak.]] |
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Ducks exploit a variety of food sources such as [[Poaceae|grass]]es, aquatic plants, fish, insects, small amphibians,<ref>[http://icons.wunderground.com/data/wximagenew/t/tomekandjola/1754.jpg Photo of a duck eating a frog]</ref> worms, and small [[mollusc]]s. |
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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>{{cite web | last = Ogden | first = Evans | title = Dabbling Ducks | publisher = CWE | url = http://www.sfu.ca/biology/wildberg/species/dabbducks.html | accessdate = 2006-11-02 }}</ref> Along the edge of the beak there is a comb-like structure called a [[Pecten (biology)|pecten]]. This strains the water squirting from the side of the beak and traps any food. The pecten is also used to preen feathers. |
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A few specialized species such as the [[merganser]]s are adapted to catch and swallow large fish. |
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The others have the characteristic wide flat beak designed for [[dredging]]-type jobs such as pulling up waterweed, pulling worms and small molluscs out of mud, searching for insect larvae, and bulk jobs such as dredging out and holding and turning headfirst and swallowing a squirming frog. To avoid injury when digging into sediment it has no [[cere]]. but the nostrils come out through hard horn. |
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===Breeding=== |
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[[File:Ducklings at University of Warwick..jpg|thumb|Two ducklings.]] |
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The ducks are generally [[monogamy|monogamous]], although these bonds generally last a single year only. Larger species and the more sedentary species (like fast river specialists) tend to have pair-bonds that last numerous years. Most duck species breed once a year, choosing to do so in favourable conditions (spring/summer or wet seasons). |
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Ducks also tend to make a nest before breeding. |
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===Communication=== |
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Despite widespread misconceptions, only the females of most [[dabbling duck]]s "quack". For example, the [[scaup]] – which are [[diving duck]]s – make a noise like "scaup" (hence their name), and even among the dabbling ducks, the males never quack. In general, ducks make a wide range of [[bird vocalisation|calls]], ranging from whistles cooing, yodels and grunts. Calls may be loud displaying calls or quieter contact calls. |
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A common [[urban legend]] claims that duck quacks do not echo; however, this has been shown to be false. This myth was first debunked by the Acoustics Research Centre at the [[University of Salford]] in 2003 as part of the [[British Association]]'s Festival of Science.<ref>{{cite web | last = Amos | first = Jonathan | title = Sound science is quackers | publisher = BBC News | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3086890.stm | accessdate = 2006-11-02 | date=2003-09-08}}</ref> It was also debunked in [[MythBusters (season 1)#Does a Duck.27s Quack Echo.3F|one of the earlier episodes]] of the popular Discovery Channel television show ''[[MythBusters]]''.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://mythbustersresults.com/episode8|title=Mythbusters Episode 8|date=12 December 2003}}</ref> |
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==Ecology== |
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[[File:Red-crested.pochard.slimbridge.arp.jpg|thumb |Male [[Red-crested Pochard]]]] |
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===Distribution and habitat=== |
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The ducks have a [[cosmopolitan distribution]] occurring across most of the world except for [[Antarctica]]. A number of species manage to live on sub-Antarctic islands like [[South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands|South Georgia]] and the [[Auckland Islands]]. Numerous ducks have managed to establish themselves on oceanic islands such as [[Hawaii]], [[New Zealand]] and [[Kerguelen Islands|Kerguelen]], although many of these species and populations are threatened or have become extinct. |
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[[File:DucksHannover.jpg|thumb|Ducks on ice-covered pool in [[Hannover]], [[Germany]]]] |
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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. {{Citation needed|date=December 2007}} |
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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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===Predators=== |
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[[File:Ringedteal.PNG|thumb|[[Ringed Teal]]]] |
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Worldwide, ducks have many predators. Ducklings are particularly vulnerable, since their inability to fly makes them easy prey not only for predatory birds but also large fish like [[Esox|pike]], [[crocodilia]]ns, and other aquatic hunters, including fish-eating birds such as [[heron]]s. Ducks' nests are raided by land-based predators, and brooding females may be caught unaware on the nest by mammals such as [[fox]]es, or large birds, such as hawks or eagles. |
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Adult ducks are fast fliers, but may be caught on the water by large aquatic predators including big fish such as the North American [[Muskellunge|muskie]] and the European [[Esox|pike]]. In flight, ducks are safe from all but a few predators such as humans and the [[Peregrine Falcon]], which regularly uses its speed and strength to catch ducks. |
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==Relationship with humans== |
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===Domestication=== |
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{{main|Domestic duck}} |
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[[File:2004duck.PNG|thumb|Domesticated duck headcount in 2004]] |
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Ducks have many economic uses, being farmed for their meat, eggs, feathers, (particularly their [[down feather|down]]). They are also kept and bred by aviculturists and often displayed in zoos. All domestic ducks are descended from the wild [[Mallard]] ''Anas platyrhynchos'', except the [[Muscovy Duck]].<ref> |
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{{cite web | last = | title = Mallard - Nature Notes | publisher = Ducks Unlimited Canada | url = http://www.ducks.ca/resource/general/naturenotes/mallard.html | accessdate = 2006-11-02 }}</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; the wild mallard's "hull length" is about 6 inches. |
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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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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 [[Duck decoy (model)|decoy]]s. Because an idle floating duck or a duck squatting on land cannot react to fly or move quickly, "a sitting duck" has come to mean "an easy target". |
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Wild ducks of many species and domesticated breeds are widely [[Duck (food)|consumed]] around the world. |
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===Cultural references=== |
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[[File:Pair of Wood Ducks.jpg|thumb|A male and female [[Wood Duck]]]] |
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In 2002, psychologist [[Richard Wiseman]] and colleagues at the [[University of Hertfordshire]], [[UK]], finished a year-long [[LaughLab]] experiment, concluding that of all animals, ducks attract the most humor and silliness; he said "If you're going to tell a joke involving an animal, make it a duck."<ref>[http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn2876 ''World's funniest joke revealed''] [[New Scientist]], 3 October 2002</ref> The word "duck" may have become an [[inherently funny word]] in many languages possibly because ducks are seen as silly in their looks or behavior. Of the many [[List of fictional ducks|ducks in fiction]], many are cartoon characters like [[Donald Duck]], who appeared in a [[The Walt Disney Company|Walt Disney]] film for the first time on 9 June 1934, and [[Daffy Duck]], who appeared in [[Warner Bros.|Warner Brothers]] films. |
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==See also== |
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{{Portal|Birds}} |
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*[[Duck crossing]] |
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*[[Duck test]] |
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*[[List of duck breeds]] |
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*[[List of fictional ducks]] |
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*[[Waterfowl hunting]] |
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{{-}} |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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{{wiktionarypar|duck}} |
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{{Commons|Duck}} |
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{{cookbook}} |
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*[http://www.wildduckhuntinginfo.com/about-wild-ducks/ Wild Ducks Info] – More info regarding the wild ducks. |
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*[http://ibc.lynxeds.com/family/ducks-geese-swans-anatidae Media related to the Anatidae] on the Internet Bird Collection |
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*[http://seaducks.org/subjects/MIGRATION%20AND%20FLIGHT.htm list of books] (useful looking abstracts) |
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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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[[Category:Ducks|*]] |
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[[Category:Game birds]] |
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and ducks are cute so much all ducks are cute some are brown and some are black and some are gray with white wings |
and ducks are cute so much all ducks are cute some are brown and some are black and some are gray with white wings |
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most of them are just gray updated by katecarter66 |
most of them are just gray updated by katecarter66 |
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Revision as of 00:00, 12 January 2011
and ducks are cute so much all ducks are cute some are brown and some are black and some are gray with white wings most of them are just gray updated by katecarter66