There are such birds in the wild ... Clumsy on land, ducks are nevertheless tireless swimmers, skilled divers (they can dive to a depth of more than 6 m), good "flyers" (they can gain height up to 6 km).
Ducks are migratory water birds.
During the period of migration, some of them cover great distances with tremendous speed. Birds fly away at the same time, but sometimes different flocks fly in different directions. Thus, the black goose travels approximately 3,000 miles from California to Alaska in just 72 hours.
Ducks periodically apply and distribute over their body a fatty secretion formed at the base of their tail feathers. Thus, a cover is created that does not allow the ducks to get wet in the water.
During molting, ducks lose almost all flight feathers and practically cannot fly. So their life is sometimes more difficult than the life of some animals!
Ducks (like geese) have a very unusual structure of the genitals. The penis of males is spiral-shaped and can reach the length of the entire body of the male. The shape of the ovaries in females is similar. Interestingly, it is the more sophisticated, the more complex the phallus of the drake.
Some types of ducks form a stable pair, but females are often in danger of being "raped" by other people's drakes. Nature made sure that the female did not breed chicks from strangers by providing the cavity of the ovary of ducks with several false pockets in which all unwanted sperm is blocked.
Some ornithologists suggest that when choosing a partner in the wild for females, the color of the male's beak is the main factor. For the richer the yellow pigment, the more confident we can talk about the sexual health of the male (there is a theory that drake sperm has a bactericidal effect and its composition directly affects the formation of that same yellow pigment. The information could not be verified, but this information was found on a couple of serious sites confirmed).
The neck of a duck also has an interesting structure. It has more neck vertebrae than a giraffe.
An interesting fact is that only female ducks quack, and the quacking of ducks has no echo.
Dream Interpretation. Dreamed of a duck? What does this mean?
Ducks swimming in clear water promise an interesting journey, possibly by sea.
White ducks dream of prosperity.
Ducklings in a dream promise you cute material surprises and wonderful changes in life.
Flying ducks - to increase well-being and generous gifts of fate.
A flock of ducks - to the birth of children, the prosperity of the family and major changes in life.
area: mallard distributed on almost all continents (Europe, Asia, South and North America, New Zealand, Australia, Africa), with the exception of Antarctica.
Description: the mallard is the largest of the ducks. The paws are short, the three front toes are webbed. Sexual dimorphism is pronounced. The beak is flat and wide.
The body is wide and long. The size of ducks varies depending on the range: in the south, the birds are more stocky, and the beak is smaller in size.
Color: mating attire of the male - the neck and head are black (with an intense green tint), the chest and goiter are brown-chestnut, at the bottom of the neck there is a white ring, the beak is bright olive, the paws are orange or red. The back is gray with streaks.
The female is brown-red, the belly is gray-brown with mottles, the beak is gray or olive, with bright orange or yellow edges.
On the wings of both sexes there are purple specula with a white border. The tail is white, the undertail is black.
Young birds are reddish-brown with dark spots, the beak is brownish, the paws are dirty yellow, the membranes between the fingers are brown.
Chicks are brownish yellow.
The size: mallard body length up to 62 cm, wingspan up to 100 cm, wing length for males 27-30 cm, for females 25-28.5 cm.
The weight: varies greatly depending on the season - 0.8-2 kg.
Lifespan: in captivity up to 25 years, in nature presumably up to 15 years.
Voice: the mallard is similar to the voice of a domestic duck, because they are her ancestor.
The drake croaks dully during the breeding season.
Anas_platyrhynchos - 65 Kb
Anas_platyrhynchos - 65 Kb
Habitat: can be found in a wide variety of habitats where there is aquatic and coastal vegetation (bodies of water, wetlands, swamps, flooded areas, streams, farmlands, coasts, bays, city parks and rivers).
Mountain rivers and bare (along the banks) reservoirs avoids. Can nest in fresh and brackish waters. Occurs up to 1800 above sea level.
Enemies: mallards and their chickens are hunted by birds of prey (grey crow, goshawk, white-tailed eagle, marsh harrier, large gulls, falcons, eagles, magpies), as well as predators - foxes, raccoon dogs, wild cats, otters, minks, skunks, martens, reptiles (snakes,) and even large fish.
social structure: The mallard is very social - out of the breeding season it forms rather large aggregations.
Food: the basis of the diet is vegetation (seeds, leaves and stems of grasses, sedge, duckweed, hornwort, pondweed, mustard, cereals, rice-like leersia, arrowhead, barnyard), also eats insects (grasshoppers), mollusks, fish eggs, earthworms, frogs, tadpoles, snails and slugs (especially young birds).
For feeding, it prefers shallow water (no deeper than 35-40 cm), so that it can reach the bottom with its beak.
At dusk, mallards can be found in agricultural fields where rice, grain, oats, wheat, barley, millet, soybeans and buckwheat are grown.
During laying and incubation of chicks, the amount of food eaten by the female doubles (mainly due to live food).
During the molting period, most of the diet of males falls on plant shoots and seeds.
Birds left to winter on the site feed on a variety of foods (silt, parts of plants, small fish and rodents, amphibians).
Behavior: leads both daytime and nocturnal lifestyle (until August - feeds during the day, during the opening of the hunting season - at dusk). Resting in places sheltered from the wind. Behaves carefully.
During feeding, the mallard lowers its head into the water (while the back of the body rises up).
It flies well, the takeoff is heavy, noisy. Flight speed 20-90 km/h. It can land on water at a very sharp angle, which allows birds to splash down on small water surfaces. Takeoff at a slight angle (no takeoff), can soar into the air almost vertically.
During the flight, the wings make the sounds "twist-twist-twist-twist".
Adult ducks do not dive, but if the bird is injured, it can both dive and swim underwater.
The molt takes place twice a year, the summer (full) molt takes about two months, which is why the birds cannot fly for 20-30 days.
Departure to warmer regions begins when shallow water freezes. Mallards fly off in small flocks. Arrival at nesting sites is quite early - during the beginning of snowmelt.
reproduction: marriage pairs are formed in the fall. The female hibernates with the male. Monogamous.
The male and female choose a nest site and build it together. The nest is usually located near water. Mallard's nest is a small hole in the ground (up to 28 cm in diameter) lined with dry vegetation.
During laying, the drake guards the female, but as soon as she sits down to incubate eggs (7-12 white eggs with a greenish tinge, weighing up to 55 g each), he flies away to molt. The female rushes every day, and incubation begins only after the end of the entire masonry.
Leaving the nest, the female covers the eggs with fluff, which accumulates in the nest as she molts. When the first clutch dies (for example, from predators or fire), the female lays the second, but with fewer eggs. Some females after fires return to the nest and continue to incubate eggs if they remain intact.
In repeated clutches, unfertilized eggs are often found.
During the incubation period, the female sits very tightly in the nest, even if a person comes close to him.
breeding season: depends on the range - from mid-April to August.
Puberty: in the first year of life.
Hatching time A: 26-28 days.
Offspring: chicks hatch together from eggs (within a few hours), and 12-16 hours after birth they go down to the water. Ducklings swim and dive well. At first, the chicks bask and rest under the wings of their mother.
Broods stay near thickets of coastal vegetation. After feeding, the duck with ducklings comes out on land to clean itself and sleep.
Young people grow quickly, at 10 days the chicks weigh 100 g, and by two months as adult ducks 0.8-0.9 kg.
Chickens fledge at eight weeks, and begin to fly at 50. Most of the chicks die (25-50%). As soon as the ducklings get on the wing, the female leaves them and flies away to molt.
Benefit / harm to humans: mallard - an object of sport hunting.
Population/conservation status: throughout the range - a common species. The main threat to mallards is habitat loss.
Ducks living in cities are prone to various diseases, for example, they are often poisoned from low-quality feed.
Mallard creates hybrids with other types of ducks, which negatively affects the purity of these species.
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The mallard duck is one of the most common waterfowl. Her unpretentiousness helped her to settle on all continents except Antarctica. The common mallard belongs to a number of river ducks. These birds can only forage in shallow water by dipping their neck into the water.
This wild duck is one of the largest. You can distinguish it from other birds by the characteristic that accompanies the flight. The duck flies loudly due to the frequent flapping of its wings. It rises into the air from the water quickly and effortlessly.
Description
The weight of the common mallard ranges from 0.8 to 2 kg. The largest sizes are usually reached by drakes, while the average female weighs 1.3 - 1.5 kg. The mass of a bird depends on the time of year and access to food. The peak of weight gain occurs in autumn.
The drakes are longer. For them, it is 53 - 67 cm. Females rarely grow more than up to 57 cm. For them, 50 cm is a normal indicator.
The wingspan of an adult starts from 81 cm and can reach 1 m.
general characteristics
The common mallard belongs to the duck family. Belongs to the order Anseriformes. Despite its impressive size, the duck is not tall. The bird has a large head and a short tail. The wide flat beak has ridges along the edges.
On land, a wild duck looks clumsy because of its unhurried gait. If danger threatens, it develops considerable speed and hides in the nearest thickets.
Habitat
The bird is often found in the forest-steppe and in the forest zone. Mallard duck prefers not to settle in the mountains, avoids deserts and places where there are no water bodies. It does not occur in areas with sparse vegetation.
During the mating season, it chooses reservoirs with stagnant water and banks overgrown with thick grass.
Habitat
Duck is represented on almost all continents. It is found in most countries of the Northern Hemisphere. The mallard is often found in Europe, Asia, Russia, the USA and Greenland.
In winter, as soon as the reservoirs begin to freeze, the bulk of the ducks migrate to warmer climes. Ordinary mallards in Greenland, Iceland and on remain wintering in their usual territories.
In large cities, the number of ducks that remain for the winter is increasing. Such sedentary populations appear where there is a non-freezing reservoir. City birds have enough food and practically no natural enemies.
Appearance
The plumage of the male mallard duck is brighter than that of the female. The drake has a dark green head and neck with tints. Below is a white stripe. Paws are orange, rarely red. The beak of the male is yellow-green.
Females have a camouflage color with brown and red feathers. The belly is slightly darker. Paws are the same color as those of drakes. The beak can be yellow-green or dark gray. The only thing that unites drakes and females are purple inserts on the wings.
All chicks are brownish-yellow.
Habitat
The common mallard is adapted both for life on water and for life on land. It prefers to be near water bodies where it finds food. The mallard duck is adapted to both fresh and salt water. Keeps away from fast flowing rivers.
Lifestyle
An adult individual lives all its life in the territory of the reservoir where it was born. If mallards do not have enough food, they will fly to other water bodies in search of food. And in autumn, birds can make “raids” on grain fields. Ducks are capable of flying both in a flock and singly.
Food
The common mallard is an almost omnivorous bird. In her diet, feed of plant and animal origin. The duck prefers aquatic plants. Among them: duckweed, sedge, hornwort. In the summer-autumn period, it eats cereal crops.
Animal products include shellfish, fry, frogs and their caviar.
Wild duck benefits by destroying insect pests. Eats weeds that live on agricultural land.
In the water, the bird is repelled by both paws and plunges as deep as possible. To get to food, the duck stands almost vertically. Prefers to hunt near the coast with a depth of no more than 30-35 cm.
Dive common mallard does not like. It dives headlong under water only if it is in danger or the bird has been injured.
reproduction
Wild ducks can breed from one year old. Nests are located near water bodies. Pairs form for about a year and separate when the female has laid all her eggs.
The average number of eggs in one individual is 8-11. Mallard duck laying incubates for 26 days. It leaves the nest only in search of food.
Less than a day after hatching from the eggs, the chicks leave the nest and go into the water. For 50-60 days, ducklings grow to the size of an adult and are able to fly.
Enemies
The common mallard living in the wild has many enemies. These are other birds of prey. Among them:
- white-tailed eagles;
- falcons;
- representatives of the order of owls;
- some types
Also, some predatory animals hunt wild ducks. Among them are foxes, otters, skunks, martens, minks, wild cats and raccoon dogs. They not only attack adult birds, but also destroy their nests.
Man is also one of the natural enemies of the mallard duck. This bird is the first to suffer during the hunting season. It is harvested in reservoirs where nesting occurs, as well as during migration to wintering grounds.
Lifespan
Wild duck lives on average 5-10 years. The maximum age a bird can live to is 29 years. But in the natural habitat, this is extremely rare.
Red Book
Despite the large number of natural enemies, the population of the common mallard is stable. The number of individuals does not cause concern among specialists and does not require entry into the Red Book.
However, some measures have been introduced in Russia to preserve the population of wild ducks. It is forbidden to collect bird eggs and catch adults with nets. In spring, hunting is allowed only for males. In a number of subjects of the country, the places where the mallard duck nests are considered protected natural areas.
- Almost all domestic ducks are descended from the common mallard.
- The ancient Egyptians were among the first to domesticate the mallard.
- Chicks from the same clutch appear on the same day. Although the difference between the eggs can be two weeks.
- The quacking of a bird does not produce an echo.
- If the clutch in the nest has been destroyed, the duck will start laying eggs from the very beginning.
- During the mating season, drakes attract females with a special dance, which is accompanied by a tossing of the head.
- A wild duck "feels" food with its beak. In a bird, it is covered with soft skin, which has tactile capabilities.
There are three subspecies of the wild duck. The first is found on all continents (except Antarctica), the second is common in Mexico and the southern regions of the United States, the third lives in Greenland. Among themselves, they differ in size, color of plumage and beak.
The common mallard lends itself well to domestication. Changes in body size, plumage color and gait are already noted in the third generation of ducks.
In Russia, a wild bird is an object of sport, and in some regions, commercial hunting. Its extraction is allowed in the summer-autumn period. In spring, hunting is open only for drakes.
Mandarin duck is a small bird from the genus of forest ducks of the duck family. Mostly lives in the Far East. Acclimatized in Ireland, USA and UK.
Mandarin duck weighs from 0.5 to 0.7 kg. Wing length: 2.1 - 2.45 cm. The male has a bright breeding outfit: a crest on his head and bright plumage. Duck is also called "Mandarin" and "Chinese".
Its description can be formulated as follows: small bright and agile bird. This duck is listed as rare in the Red Book, so the mandarin duck is grown in special establishments.
habitats
Initially, the mandarin duck was an inhabitant of the countries of East Asia and the territory of the Russian Far East. There are especially many of its nests in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, the Amur Region, as well as on the territory of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.
Where does the mandarin duck live now?
For the most part, its distribution area is located on Russian territory. Of the 25,000 registered pairs of mandarin ducks, 15,000 live with us.
And only in autumn she leaves Russia to spend the winter where it is warmer and the temperature does not fall below 5 degrees.
In winter, the mandarin duck, overcoming long distances, settles in some areas of Japan and China. The mandarin bird returns to its native land before all the snow has melted. It does not breed in all countries of East Asia. For example, in Korea, the mandarin duck never nests, although it flies by.
Now the range of this bird has expanded, and it lives in small numbers even in Ireland, England and the USA. True, in small quantities. About a thousand pairs breed in Ireland, as well as in England. In America - about 550 pairs.
Appearance
It can be said for sure that the mandarin duck is the most beautiful duck on earth. In any case, it unusually stands out among the forest ducks, to which it belongs. The drake is especially different. Its bright plumage contrasts with the restrained colors of the wild.
The male has feathers in every color of the rainbow.. It is for the beauty of their plumage that they are so loved in China. The female is not as bright as the drake, but still she is beautiful in her own way. Its inconspicuous plumage is used for camouflage during hatching.
The drake molts before the onset of winter and looks completely different in cold weather. Due to its nondescript winter plumage, it is often mistaken for another species and shot down.
It is believed that it is because of the brightness of the plumage that these ducks got their name. Mandarins in China, as well as in Vietnam and Korea, were called officials of noble origin. Their clothes were distinguished by splendor and splendor. The outfit of the male mandarin duck caused just such an association. Perhaps also because beautiful pairs of these ducks were found in the ponds of the emperor of China and the Chinese nobility.
Food
The tangerine feeds in the same place where it settles. Pairs of these ducks prefer protected places with water bodies: rivers and lakes. The mandarin duck is especially fond of settling along the banks of rivers surrounded by forests or rocks. She prefers to nest in forests on tall trees.
Nutrition consists of plant seeds, including aquatic ones. A feature of tangerines is that they love acorns, which contain many useful substances. From the aquatic environment, they extract shellfish, fish caviar and small river inhabitants.
They do not refuse plant foods either - they consume aquatic and terrestrial plants. Like all birds, they love worms. With artificial breeding, the mandarin duck feeds on wheat, barley, corn, rice and other cereals. Animal protein in the form of minced meat and fish is also added to her diet.
reproduction
The most beautiful mandarin duck is monogamous. Male and female remain faithful to each other until the end of the season. The male helps the female when she incubates the eggs and gets food for her. Before that, in early spring, "matchmaking" begins. The drake chooses a female and with its beautiful plumage tries to win her favor.
He describes circles on the surface of the water and puffs up his crest. Usually several males seek the attention of a female at once, she chooses the best one. The mandarin duck nests high in the hollows of trees. And almost a month incubates from seven to 14 small white eggs.
Ducklings, having been born, behave very actively and almost from birth they learn to swim and dive. They not only bathe, but also learn to get their own food: small insects and wild grass seeds. After about six weeks, the ducklings already know how to fly.
Character and lifestyle
The mandarin duck, about which various interesting facts are known, lives in the mountains near rivers, in mountain forests. This is her natural habitat. She is an excellent swimmer, while keeping her tail up in the water with dignity. Dives only in emergency situations, for example, when injured. Flies fast and agile. She often sits on a tree or rock.
It is forbidden to hunt it, as it is listed in the Red Book as a rare species.
It is bred in parks as an ornamental bird.
Among mandarin ducks there are albinos
Duck differs from others in some features, including:
- The pitching (duck) mandarin duck does not quack, she only whistles softly;
- During the mating season, the male has a very bright color, and then sheds, acquiring a calmer plumage. During this period they gather in thickets and hide there;
- Ducks have rather strong wings, which helps them to rise vertically;
- Mandarin does not like to dive, does it only when necessary;
- It has sharp claws that help it stay on tree branches.
Cases of mutations of mandarins have been recorded, the most common of them is a duck with white plumage.
Ducks, in the majority's mind, are associated primarily with poultry, and among their wild representatives, only mallards are more or less known. Meanwhile, the species diversity of wild ducks is great, because they make up a whole family in the order Anseriformes. In addition to the ducks themselves (about 125 species), this family includes their close relatives - geese, goose, swans and coscorobs. This article gives a general description of wild ducks, and separate publications are devoted to some of the most famous species.
Male maned duck (Chenonetta jubata).
Ducks are small to medium sized birds. The weight of most species lies in the range of 600-1400 g. One of the largest species, the great merganser, weighs up to 2 kg, and the smallest wild ducks are the spotted or Hottentot teal weighing only 225-250 g and the teal whistler, whose weight varies within 200-400 g. Since ducks are closely associated with water bodies, their anatomy is adapted to living in the aquatic environment: this is a streamlined body that reduces water resistance when swimming and diving; the neck is of medium length, which allows it to get food from the water column without completely immersing itself in it; webbed feet set far back, acting like oars. Some species have elongated feathers on the back of the head. However, in a calm state, the ducks keep their tufts folded, so they are almost invisible to an outside observer, and become noticeable only when the bird is excited.
Patagonian crested duck (Lophonetta specularioides specularioides).
The tail of ducks is usually short and blunt. The exceptions are male pintails and long-tailed ducks, in which the central tail feathers are elongated and raised high above the water during swimming.
Long-tailed drake (Clangula hyemalis).
Another common feature of ducks is their beak. In these birds, it has a characteristic flattened shape and a rounded end. Such a beak allows you to choose duckweed, algae and small invertebrates from the water, which feed on most species. The most indicative in this regard are shovelers, whose beak is so long and widened at the end that, when viewed from the front, it resembles a bast shoe.
Fringed horny plates along the edges of the beak help this female shoveler (Anas clypeata) to effectively strain food.
In blue and pink-eared ducks, the beak is not only flat and wide, but also bent around the edges.
Male pink-eared duck (Malacorhynchus membranaceus) at Herdsman Lake (Western Australia).
In addition, the beaks of comb and lobed ducks look extreme. In the first species, a comb-like outgrowth is located above the base of the beak, and in the second, a large fold of skin hangs under the beak like an earring. However, in the last two cases, only males wear such jewelry.
A male paddle duck (Biziura lobata) makes a demonstrative mating "swim".
The plumage of ducks consists of small, rather soft feathers, which birds regularly lubricate with oily secretions of the coccygeal gland. Underneath this water-impervious top layer, thick, loose down grows. It warms the body of the birds (heat loss is faster in water) and reduces the specific gravity, providing buoyancy.
The female king eider (Somateria spectabilis). These modest-looking ducks, like their sister eiders, provide the warmest down in the world.
The vast majority of ducks are characterized by pronounced sexual dimorphism. The exceptions are ogari and shelducks, in which it almost does not appear. These types of ducks are considered primitive, close to geese, from which they inherited the similarity of the outfit of males and females.
A pair of common shelducks (Tadorna tadorna): the male differs from the female in slightly larger size and a growth at the base of the beak, otherwise the outfit of both sexes is identical.
In other species, the difference between males and females is manifested primarily in color and, to a lesser extent, in size. If the females for the most part wear a protective, colorful, but dim outfit, then on the body of the males, the head, neck, chest and torso are contrasted with different colors. Despite the fact that the color scheme of these birds is rather restrained (brown, gray, black, white colors prevail in it), due to the contrasting pattern, many types of ducks look very impressive. In the attire of males, shiny feathers may be present, shimmering in green and purple.
The wings of comb duck drakes (Sarkidiornis melanotos) shimmer with all the colors of the rainbow.
In some cases, yellow, blue, red paws and beak can contrast with dark plumage. Male ducks are always larger than females.
A flying male and female king eider show a striking difference in coloration.
Despite the general plan of the structure, ducks are adapted to various habitats, but at the same time they always maintain a connection with water bodies. You can meet these birds in any corner of the Earth, with the exception of the extreme points - Antarctica, the ice fields of the Arctic and high mountain glaciers. Among ducks, there are cosmopolitan species with a very wide range covering several continents (common mallard, red whistling duck, long-tailed duck), but there are also narrow endemics whose range does not extend beyond a small region. Among ducks, there are both sedentary species that live year-round in warm regions, and migratory species that nest in the temperate zone up to the Arctic Circle, and fly to Africa and tropical Asia for wintering.
Male Eaton pintail (Anas eatoni). This rare duck originates from common pintails that flew to the Crozet and Kerguelen Islands and became isolated over time.
Duck habitats vary significantly depending on which region is home to a particular species. Among the most northern species (eiders, long-tailed ducks) lovers of sea coasts predominate, they settle in open spaces among grasses and placers of coastal boulders, and they get food in the shallow waters of sea bays. Ducks of the temperate zone and subtropics gravitate towards fresh water bodies, and they prefer small lakes and rivers with a quiet current and dense thickets of reeds, cattails, reeds, lotus, among which they like to hide and feed. But shelducks and shelducks prefer rivers with steep banks and sparse steppe vegetation. A special group is made up of goldeneyes, tree and forest ducks; these species live in forests, and nests are built exclusively in trees. Finally, it is worth highlighting the ducks of the highlands. Such species settle near streams and mountain streams with a rapid current and whirlpools, which they easily overcome. In oceanic waters far from the coast, as well as on vast expanses of land without water bodies, ducks are not found.
Stone drake (Histrionicus histrionicus) poses against the backdrop of a stormy mountain river.
Different types of wild ducks are very different in character and lifestyle. The inhabitants of the sea coasts spend their whole lives in a flock: they feed together, nest, migrate and winter. Freshwater ducks, especially forest and steppe species, on the contrary, prefer solitude. At nesting sites, they are found in pairs or singly, and in flocks they stray only for the duration of flights and wintering. The nesting areas of these species are extensive, and the owners protect them very zealously, although in general the ducks are peaceful and, outside the breeding season, easily get along not only with their own kind, but also with other waterfowl. Ducks communicate using various sounds: most often you can hear a characteristic nasal quack from them, some species emit a melodic whistle, chirp, muffled growl, creak. Females are more talkative than males.
In the sea, eiders move in dense flocks.
Outside of the breeding season, ducks spend most of their time on the water, leaving the land only to rest a little, clean themselves and warm themselves. Species that forage in the surface layer of water swim slowly, dive reluctantly (only in case of danger) and not for long. Ducks that gather food from the bottom of reservoirs are excellent divers, capable of diving deep into a dozen meters. Along with diving in search of food, capsizing is often used, when the bird makes a stance upside down, balancing its paws above the water.
Common Mallard during feeding.
The webbed feet of ducks are not the best way to move on land, so on land these birds are clumsy, waddling and slow. But in the air they feel confident. Ducks take off, as a rule, hard, gaining altitude not immediately, and during the flight (landing) their maneuverability leaves much to be desired. But flying ducks develop significant speed, and in non-stop flight they can stay for a long time, covering considerable distances in a day. This is all the more striking because ducks do not know how to soar, so they flap their wings all the time on the fly, and this method of movement is very energy-consuming.
Heavy ducks, like this male of the Spectacled Eider (Somateria fischeri), take off with a short takeoff run.
On a special account are steamboat ducks, which have completely lost the ability to fly, since they live settled on islands where there are no land-based predators.
Falkland steamer duck (Tachyeres brachypterus).
These birds are active mainly during the day, especially shy species prefer to feed in the morning and evening. The food of freshwater ducks is usually mixed. Their diet includes shoots, leaves, rhizomes and seeds of aquatic plants, less often filamentous algae, as well as all kinds of small invertebrates: aquatic insects and their larvae, small snails, crustaceans. Marine species of ducks prefer larger prey: starfish, bivalves, sea urchins and worms. Mergansers feed exclusively on fish. In certain seasons, atypical food for them may predominate in the diet of ducks: for example, tangerines feed on acorns in autumn, wigeon, common mallard and common ruddy hunt for locusts in summer.
King eider drake with prey raised by him from the bottom - a sea urchin.
Most species during nesting are monogamous, that is, they have one partner, but at the same time they are not faithful to him all their lives. Males soon after mating stray into flocks and begin to molt, while females incubate and lead ducklings alone. It must be said that the summer molt with a complete change of flight feathers of the wing makes the ducks temporarily unable to fly, so the molting flocks of drakes are located in the most secluded places. For this reason, males and females do not raise offspring together, otherwise flightless drakes, as easy prey, would attract too much attention of predators to ducklings. Females molt only after the rise of the young on the wing. During migration and wintering, ducks of both sexes usually stay in flocks. In the spring, on the way to the nesting grounds or upon arrival at their native places, they again form a pair, but with a different partner. However, among these birds there are also examples of true marital fidelity - shelducks, shelducks and tangerines create permanent couples for life.
Tangerines have become in China the same symbol of marital fidelity as doves in Europe.
The opposite example is the Icelandic goldeneye, canvas dives and comb ducks, in which males, after mating with one female, immediately begin to court another, having time to mate with several during the season.
Flock of canvas dives (Aythya valisineria).
The mating games of ducks are varied and spectacular. Usually, drakes gather in a small group around the chosen one and try to impress her with an impeccable “dance”.
Mallard drake (Anas platyrhynchos) makes a characteristic stance on the water.
Each type of duck has its own characteristic set of gestures: in some species, these can be barely noticeable tilts of the head, nods, raising the tail, while others have jerky movements of the wings and head.
A male common goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) at the climax of the courtship dance.
For example, goldeneyes and hooded mergansers puff up their plumage at the back of their heads and sharply throw their heads back ...
Three hooded merganser drakes (Mergellus cucullatus) compete for the attention of a female. They show their luxurious tufts only during the mating season.
American ducks, on the other hand, swim with their heads tilted forward.
The male American duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) blows bubbles into the water during mating, and raises its wings like a swan. This duck, like other species of ducks, is distinguished by an unusual bright blue beak.
In some species, an established pair performs a run when both birds synchronously glide over the surface of the water with their necks extended. Mating often takes place right in the water.
Two drakes of the Carolina duck (Aix sponsa) perform a joint jog on the water. Here, synchronized movements are not a sign of love, but of intense competition.
Females build nests on the shore in thickets of coastal vegetation, sometimes under snags or in stumps. Gogols, mandarin ducks, Caroline and tree ducks use hollows for these purposes, shelducks and shelducks dig holes in the clay banks or occupy strangers. Eiders are less secretive, nesting openly among coastal grasses and boulders. A clutch of ducks can contain from 5 to 20 eggs, usually white, greenish or brown. Since the responsibility for procreation lies solely with the females, they have to leave the nest unattended. So that the eggs do not cool down during the absence, all types of ducks soundly insulate them with fluff plucked from the chest and abdomen. Duck down has excellent thermal insulation properties, and eiders are the absolute world champions in this respect.
The Australian freckled duck (Stictonetta naevosa) gets its unusual name from its very fine and densely speckled coloration.
Incubation lasts several weeks, but not all ducks condescend to this occupation. Whiteheads lay very large eggs, which incubate only at the very beginning, then large embryos warm themselves with their own heat, and partly help them in this with the sun's rays, which heat the nest. The heteronetty ducks have gone even further, throwing their eggs into the nests of pampas divers, coots and Patagonian gulls. Unlike cuckoos, heteronettes do not hesitate to “make happy” neighbors with more than one egg, they can throw up to 8 pieces at most. However, such impudence is excusable for them, because heteronetty ducklings not only do not kill the chicks of the host species, but do not burden the adoptive parents with taking care of themselves at all: after hatching, they leave the hospitable nursery and grow on their own.
Heteronetta atricapilla married couple. In this species, although the females are more modestly feathered than the males, they are superior in size.
It must be said that ducklings belong to the brood type of chicks, that is, immediately after birth, having dried out a little, they are able to follow their mother, swim and dive. In species that nest in trees, ducklings jump out of hollows, and in some cases such nests can be located up to 10 m above the ground! Despite such outstanding abilities, their endurance leaves much to be desired, therefore, in infancy, ducklings often warm up under the wings of their mother, and climb on her back in the water. Orphaned, they can feed themselves, although they often die due to their inability to resist predators. Several ducks often combine flocks of their offspring into one to make it easier to look after them. After a couple of months, the ducklings reach the size of adults, and they start breeding the next year. In captivity, ducks live up to 15-20 years, but in the wild, their life expectancy is much shorter, since these birds have many enemies.
Female black-bellied tree or black-bellied whistling duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) with a brood.
Because of their abundance, ducks attract both terrestrial and flying predators. On land, they, their eggs and chicks are threatened by foxes, raccoons, forest cats, martens, otters, minks, raccoon dogs, skunks, wild boars, muskrats, less often vipers and snakes. In the air, ducks are hunted by eagles, harriers, falcons, eagles, eagle owls, and their nests are devastated by crows, magpies and large gulls. It also happens that ducks are in danger in their element: in water bodies they can become victims of crocodiles, and even catfish and pikes can swallow ducklings. Ducks carry bird flu, helminths and, to a lesser extent, ticks. Ducks have not developed active means of protection against their enemies. In the event of a danger threatening them from land or air, they dive under water and swim horizontally for a fairly long distance, emerging at a distance from the source of disturbance. If the enemy is dangerous only for chicks, then adult birds pounce on him, loudly flapping their wings - such a technique is quite capable of driving away gulls and crows. Steamship ducks have mastered this method of protection to perfection. Although their wings are short, they are very strong and in the moment of danger they powerfully rake them like paddle steamers.
The drakes of the Eaton wood duck (Dendrocygna eytoni) stand out among their fellows with feathers sticking out on the sides, covering the wings.
Since ancient times, ducks have attracted people like game. Mallards, shelducks, long-tailed ducks, goldeneyes, gray ducks, red-nosed and red-headed pochards, wigeons are distinguished by tasty meat, although almost all species are edible. The meat of long-tailed ducks and mergansers in certain seasons smells strongly of fish. They hunt ducks during autumn flights with a gun, often luring potential victims with the help of inanimate swimming models or live domestic ducks tied in thickets. This method of extraction is called decoy duck hunting. Duck hunting is especially effective with a hunting dog to help pull injured birds out of the water and impassable reeds. Especially for hunting on the water, breeds such as spaniels were bred.
Red-nosed pochard drake (Netta rufina).
But ducks are loved not only for tasty meat. Already in the Middle Ages, people highly appreciated the fluff of eiders, goldeneyes, shelducks. For the sake of Gogol's lands, the princes of Kievan Rus even waged internecine wars. The collection of eider down, bloodless in itself, was carried out in the northern countries on such a large scale that one factor of disturbance led to a decrease in the populations of these ducks and forced people to protect them. And in our time, the cost of this raw material is extremely high, so eiderdown jackets can be safely attributed to luxury items. History also knows more exotic ways of using duck raw materials, for example, skins of mergansers, peeled from feathers, were at one time trimmed with fur coats.
Female of the medium or long-nosed merganser (Mergus serrator).
In our time of developed poultry farming, hunting for ducks has lost its original meaning of obtaining food, now it is much more interesting to breed ducks, especially since many species of these birds are easily tamed. Ordinary mallards can be attributed to ordinary inhabitants of city ponds, mandarin ducks, Carolina ducks are often settled in private gardens, shelducks, shelducks, crested ducks are promising for use as ornamental birds. Alas, a number of species of wild ducks have been put on the brink of survival by man. The populations of island endemics are critically small: Madagascar and Laysan mallards, Madagascar and Sunda teals.
Laysan mallard (Anas laysanensis) is found on the only island of Laysan, which is part of the Hawaiian archipelago.
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