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Meet the duck
Ducks can rest one half of their brain while the other half stays awake — the eye on the awake side stays open, watching.
🏡 Ponds, lakes, rivers and marshes all over the world.🍽️ Water plants, seeds, snails, insects.⏳ About 10 years in good conditions.
Friends and family
Ducklings imprint on the first caring adult they see and follow them everywhere.
Mother ducks lead their ducklings to water within a day of hatching.
How they talk
Quacks, whistles and grunts — and contrary to the myth, duck quacks definitely echo.
How clever are they?
Day-old ducklings can learn abstract ideas like 'same' and 'different'.
What they feel
Ducks kept without water to swim in show signs of frustration; given a pool, they dive and splash for hours.
Superpower: Waterproof feathers
Ducks spread oil from a gland near their tail so water rolls straight off.
🤓 Did you know?
- Ducks can sleep with one half of their brain awake.
- Day-old ducklings understand 'same' and 'different'.
- The idea that a duck's quack doesn't echo is a myth.
Living alongside people
Ducks are farmed for meat, eggs and feathers. Many farmed ducks never get open water to swim in.