How to Identify Wild Ducks
Wild ducks can be seen flying in flocks and by various sites where there is water. You can probably see ducks swimming and walking around at a local park where there is water. Ducks will stay near water since they eat small fish and insects that live in the water. Identifying wild ducks will require you to observe various aspects of the duck including their habitat and behavior.
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Instructions
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Analyze the duck's behavior. Wild ducks hunt for food differently. For example, there are ducks such as mallards that dabble in shallow waters for food and other wild ducks including ring necks and redheads that dive for their food in deeper bodies of water such as lakes. Some wild ducks such as teals and mallards can be seen flying in large flocks while others including red bills fly in smaller groups.
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Analyze the coloring of the duck. Wild ducks have a variety of coloring and sometimes the female will differ from the male. For example, male mallards have a bright green head with yellowish-orange and black throughout the body while females are light brown. Teal ducks are gray with yellow on the tail and white stripes on the sides. The head is colorful with a mix of dark green and reddish brown.
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Examine the size of the duck. Wild ducks can grow up to 17 inches including their wingspan, but many are smaller. Red bill ducks and white faced ducks grow up to nine inches including their wingspan. Marbled ducks grow up to 16 inches and redhead ducks grow up to 15 inches with wingspan.
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Observe the habitat of the duck. Wild ducks will be seen near various bodies of water including rivers, swamps, and ponds. Wild ducks build their nests on the ground near the water. They will use tall grasses and shrubbery to hide and protect the nest made up of twigs and grass.
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Listen to the sounds ducks make. Wild ducks make whistling or quacking sounds. Red billed and white faced ducks make high-pitched whistles to communicate with other ducks. Other wild ducks such as marbled and ring necked ducks quack. Mallard males in particular will make loud quacking sounds when they are trying to attract a mate.
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Tips & Warnings
Using a duck field guide can help you determine further what type of wild duck you are observing.
References
- Photo Credit two mallard ducks on grass image by scalesy from Fotolia.com
