View source for Duck

{{short description|Common name for many species of bird}}
{{about|the bird|duck as a food|Duck as food|other uses}}
{{redirect|Duckling}}
{{pp-move}}
{{pp-semi-indef}}
{{Paraphyletic group
| auto = yes
| name = Duck
| image = Bucephala-albeola-010.jpg
| image_caption = Female [[Bufflehead]]<br>(''Bucephala albeola'')
| taxon = Anatidae
| authority = 
| subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies
| subdivision = See text
| range_map = 
| range_map_caption = 
}}

'''Duck''' is the common name for numerous species of [[waterfowl]] in the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Anatidae]]. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than [[swan]]s and [[goose|geese]], which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a [[form taxon]]; they do not represent a [[monophyletic group]] (the group of all descendants of a single common ancestral species), since swans and geese are not considered ducks. Ducks are mostly [[aquatic bird]]s, and may be found in both fresh water and sea water.

Ducks are sometimes confused with several types of unrelated water birds with similar forms, such as [[loon]]s or divers, [[grebe]]s, [[gallinule]]s and [[coot]]s.

==Etymology==
The word ''duck'' comes from [[Old English]] {{lang|ang|dūce}} 'diver', a derivative of the verb {{lang|ang|*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]] {{lang|nl|duiken}} and [[German language|German]] {{lang|de|tauchen}} 'to dive'.

[[File:Pacific Black Ducks on pond ducking.jpg|thumb|[[Pacific black duck]] displaying the characteristic upending "duck"]]

This word replaced Old English {{lang|ang|ened}} /{{lang|ang|ænid}} 'duck', possibly to avoid confusion with other words, such as {{lang|ang|ende}} 'end' with similar forms. Other Germanic languages still have similar words for ''duck'', for example, Dutch {{lang|nl|eend}}, German {{lang|de|Ente}} and [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] {{lang|no|and}}. The word {{lang|ang|ened}} /{{lang|ang|ænid}} was inherited from [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]]; [[cf.]] [[Latin]] ''anas'' "duck", [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]] {{lang|lt|ántis}} 'duck', [[Ancient Greek language|Ancient Greek]] {{lang|grc|νῆσσα}} /{{lang|grc|νῆττα}} ({{Transliteration|grc|nēssa}} /{{Transliteration|grc|nētta}}) 'duck', and [[Sanskrit]] {{Transliteration|sa|ātí}} 'water bird', among others.

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 |access-date=2015-05-22}}</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 |access-date=2015-05-22 }}</ref> but in the food trade a young domestic duck which has just reached adult size and bulk and its meat is still fully tender, is sometimes labelled as a duckling.

A male is called a [[wikt:drake|drake]] and the female is called a duck, or in [[ornithology]] a hen.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WJCTL_mC5w4C&q=male+duck+is+called+a+drake+and+the+female+is+called+a+duck&pg=PA457|title=The Encyclopedia of Historic and Endangered Livestock and Poultry Breeds|last=Dohner|first=Janet Vorwald|date=2001|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0300138139|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VqSquCLNrZcC&q=male+duck+is+called+a+drake+and+the+female+is+called+a+duck+%28or+hen%29&pg=PA16|title=How to Draw Cartoon Birds|last1=Visca|first1=Curt|last2=Visca|first2=Kelley|date=2003|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|isbn=9780823961566|language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Mallard-drake-chicago-march-2024.jpg|thumb|Male [[mallard]].]]

[[File:Wood-ducks-male-female-chicago-march-2024.jpg|thumb|[[Wood duck]]s.]]

==Taxonomy==
All ducks belong to the [[order (biology)|biological order]] [[Anseriformes]], a group that contains the ducks, geese and swans, as well as the [[screamer]]s, and the [[magpie goose]].{{sfn|Carboneras|1992|p=536}} All except the screamers belong to the [[family (biology)|biological family]] [[Anatidae]].{{sfn|Carboneras|1992|p=536}} Within the family, ducks are split into a variety of subfamilies and 'tribes'. The number and composition of these subfamilies and tribes is the cause of considerable disagreement among taxonomists.{{sfn|Carboneras|1992|p=536}} Some base their decisions on [[morphology (biology)|morphological characteristics]], others on shared behaviours or genetic studies.{{sfn|Livezey|1986|pp=737–738}}{{sfn|Madsen|McHugh|de Kloet|1988|p=452}} The number of suggested subfamilies containing ducks ranges from two to five.{{sfn|Donne-Goussé|Laudet|Hänni|2002|pp=353–354}}{{sfn|Carboneras|1992|p=540}} The significant level of [[hybrid (biology)|hybridisation]] that occurs among wild ducks complicates efforts to tease apart the relationships between various species.{{sfn|Carboneras|1992|p=540}}

[[File:Mallard drake .02.jpg|thumbnail|[[Mallard]] landing in approach]]

In most modern classifications, the so-called 'true ducks' belong to the subfamily Anatinae, which is further split into a varying number of tribes.{{sfn|Elphick|Dunning|Sibley|2001|p=191}} The largest of these, the Anatini, contains the 'dabbling' or 'river' ducks – named for their method of feeding primarily at the surface of fresh water.{{sfn|Kear|2005|p=448}} The 'diving ducks', also named for their primary feeding method, make up the tribe Aythyini.{{sfn|Kear|2005|p=622–623}} The 'sea ducks' of the tribe Mergini are diving ducks which specialise on fish and shellfish and spend a majority of their lives in saltwater.{{sfn|Kear|2005|p=686}} The tribe Oxyurini contains the 'stifftails', diving ducks notable for their small size and stiff, upright tails.{{sfn|Elphick|Dunning|Sibley|2001|p=193}}

A number of other species called ducks are not considered to be 'true ducks', and are typically placed in other subfamilies or tribes. The [[whistling duck]]s are assigned either to a tribe (Dendrocygnini) in the subfamily Anatinae or the subfamily Anserinae,{{sfn|Carboneras|1992|p=537}} or to their own subfamily (Dendrocygninae) or family (Dendrocyganidae).{{sfn|Carboneras|1992|p=540}}{{sfn|American Ornithologists' Union|1998|p=xix}} The [[freckled duck]] of Australia is either the sole member of the tribe Stictonettini in the subfamily Anserinae,{{sfn|Carboneras|1992|p=537}} or in its own family, the Stictonettinae.{{sfn|Carboneras|1992|p=540}} The [[shelduck]]s make up the tribe Tadornini in the family Anserinae in some classifications,{{sfn|Carboneras|1992|p=537}} and their own subfamily, Tadorninae, in others,{{sfn|American Ornithologists' Union|1998}} while the [[steamer duck]]s are either placed in the family Anserinae in the tribe Tachyerini{{sfn|Carboneras|1992|p=537}} or lumped with the shelducks in the tribe Tadorini.{{sfn|Carboneras|1992|p=540}} The [[perching duck]]s make up in the tribe Cairinini in the subfamily Anserinae in some classifications, while that tribe is eliminated in other classifications and its members assigned to the tribe Anatini.{{sfn|Carboneras|1992|p=540}} The [[torrent duck]] is generally included in the subfamily Anserinae in the monotypic tribe Merganettini,{{sfn|Carboneras|1992|p=537}} but is sometimes included in the tribe Tadornini.{{sfn|Carboneras|1992|p=538}} The [[pink-eared duck]] is sometimes included as a true duck either in the tribe Anatini{{sfn|Carboneras|1992|p=537}} or the tribe Malacorhynchini,{{sfn|Christidis|Boles|2008|p=62}} and other times is included with the shelducks in the tribe Tadornini.{{sfn|Carboneras|1992|p=537}}

==Morphology==
[[File:Mandarin.duck.arp.jpg|thumb|Male [[Mandarin duck]]]]{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2024}}
The overall [[body plan]] of ducks is elongated and broad, and they 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 [[Beak|bill]] is usually broad and contains serrated [[pecten (biology)|pectens]], 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, which typically feature [[Webbed foot|webbed feet]]. 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]].

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 such as the [[paradise shelduck]] of [[New Zealand]], which is both strikingly sexually dimorphic and in which the female's plumage is brighter than that of the male. The plumage of juvenile birds generally resembles that of the female. Female ducks have evolved to have a corkscrew shaped vagina to prevent forced copulations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Coghlan |first=Andy |title=Female ducks fight back against 'raping' males |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11764-female-ducks-fight-back-against-raping-males/ |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=New Scientist |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Distribution and habitat==
{{See also|List of Anseriformes by population}}
[[File:Last day in Ushuaia, Argentina.Flying Steamer-Ducks (Tachyeres patachonicus) in various artistic settings.Harbour silhouettes. (25921897721).jpg|thumb|[[Flying steamer ducks]] in [[Ushuaia]], Argentina]]
Ducks have a [[cosmopolitan distribution]], and are found on every continent except Antarctica.{{sfn|Carboneras|1992|p=536}} Several species manage to live on subantarctic islands, including [[South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands|South Georgia]] and the [[Auckland Islands]].{{sfn|Shirihai|2008|pp=239, 245}} Ducks have reached a number of isolated oceanic islands, including the [[Hawaiian Islands]], [[Micronesia]] and the [[Galápagos Islands]], where they are often {{birdgloss|vagrants}} and less often {{birdgloss|residents}}.{{sfn|Pratt|Bruner|Berrett|1987|pp=98-107}}{{sfn|Fitter|Fitter|Hosking|2000|pp=52–3}} A handful are [[endemic]] to such far-flung islands.{{sfn|Pratt|Bruner|Berrett|1987|pp=98-107}}

[[File:Female Mallard at Menacuddle Well.jpg|alt=A brown duck in a fast-flowing stream|thumb|Female mallard in [[Cornwall]], England]]
Some duck species, mainly those breeding in the temperate and Arctic Northern Hemisphere, are migratory; those in the tropics are generally not. Some ducks, particularly in Australia where rainfall is erratic, are nomadic, seeking out the temporary lakes and pools that form after localised heavy rain.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wiresnr.org/pacificblackduck.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501172752/http://www.wiresnr.org/pacificblackduck.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=May 1, 2008|title=Pacific Black Duck|website=www.wiresnr.org|access-date=2018-04-27}}</ref>

==Behaviour==
===Feeding===
[[File:Duck 1 filter teeth edit.jpg|thumb|[[Pecten (biology)|Pecten]] along the bill]]
[[File:Duckling preening (81313).webm|thumb|[[Mallard]] duckling preening]]
[[File:Family of ducks 001.ogv|thumb|right|Family of ducks preening]]
Ducks eat food sources such as [[Poaceae|grass]]es, aquatic plants, fish, insects, small amphibians, worms, and small [[mollusc]]s.

[[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 = https://www.sfu.ca/biology/wildberg/species/dabbducks.html | access-date = 2006-11-02 }}</ref> Along the edge of the bill, there is a comb-like structure called a [[Pecten (biology)|pecten]]. This strains the water squirting from the side of the bill and traps any food. The pecten is also used to preen feathers and to hold slippery food items.

[[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.

A few specialized species such as the [[merganser]]s are adapted to catch and swallow large fish.

The others have the characteristic wide flat bill adapted to [[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, holding, turning head first, and swallowing a squirming frog. To avoid injury when digging into sediment it has no [[cere]], but the nostrils come out through hard horn.

''[[The Guardian]]'' published an article advising that ducks should not be fed with bread because it [[Angel wing|damages the health of the ducks]] and pollutes waterways.<ref>{{cite web|author=Karl Mathiesen |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/16/dont-feed-the-ducks-bread-say-conservationists |title=Don't feed the ducks bread, say conservationists |newspaper=The Guardian |date=16 March 2015 |access-date=13 November 2016}}</ref>

===Breeding===
[[File:Parrulo -Muscovy duckling.jpg|thumb|A [[Muscovy duck]]ling]]
Ducks generally [[monogamy in animals|only have one partner at a time]], although the partnership usually only lasts one year.<ref>{{Cite book | doi=10.1007/978-1-4615-6787-5_4|chapter = Female-Biased Philopatry, Monogamy, and the Timing of Pair Formation in Migratory Waterfowl|title = Current Ornithology| pages=187–221|year = 1988|last1 = Rohwer|first1 = Frank C.| last2=Anderson| first2=Michael G.| isbn=978-1-4615-6789-9}}</ref> Larger species and the more sedentary species (like fast-river specialists) tend to have pair-bonds that last numerous years.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Cyndi M. |last1=Smith |first2=Fred |last2=Cooke |first3=Gregory J. |last3=Robertson |first4=R. Ian |last4=Goudie |first5=W. Sean |last5=Boyd |title=Long-Term Pair Bonds in Harlequin Ducks |journal=The Condor |year=2000 |volume=102 |issue=1 |pages=201–205 |doi=10.1093/condor/102.1.201 |doi-access=free |hdl=10315/13797 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> Most duck species breed once a year, choosing to do so in favourable conditions ([[spring (season)|spring]]/summer or wet seasons). Ducks also tend to make a [[bird nest|nest]] before breeding, and, after hatching, lead their ducklings to water. Mother ducks are very caring and protective of their young, but may abandon some of their ducklings if they are physically stuck in an area they cannot get out of (such as nesting in an enclosed [[courtyard]]) or are not prospering due to genetic defects or sickness brought about by hypothermia, starvation, or disease. Ducklings can also be orphaned by inconsistent late hatching where a few eggs hatch after the mother has abandoned the nest and led her ducklings to water.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wildliferehabber.com/content/if-you-find-duckling|title=If You Find An Orphaned Duckling - Wildlife Rehabber|website=wildliferehabber.com|access-date=2018-12-22|archive-date=2018-09-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923152911/http://wildliferehabber.com/content/if-you-find-duckling|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Communication===
Female [[mallard]] ducks (as well as several other species in the genus ''Anas'', such as the [[American black duck|American]] and [[Pacific black duck]]s, [[spot-billed duck]], [[northern pintail]] and [[common teal]]) make the classic "quack" sound while males make a similar but raspier sound that is sometimes written as "breeeeze",<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VGofAwAAQBAJ&q=mallard+sound+deep+and+raspy&pg=PA39|title=The Duck Bible|last=Carver|first=Heather|date=2011|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=9780557901562|language=en}}{{self-published source|date=February 2020}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=February 2020}} but, despite widespread misconceptions, most species of duck do not "quack".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fXJBBAAAQBAJ&q=Females+of+most+dabbling+ducks+make+the+classic+%22quack%22+sound+but+most+ducks+don%27t+quack&pg=PA123|title=Bird Brains: Inside the Strange Minds of Our Fine Feathered Friends|last=Titlow|first=Budd|date=2013-09-03|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=9780762797707|language=en}}</ref> In general, ducks make a range of [[bird vocalisation|calls]], including whistles, cooing, yodels and grunts. For example, the [[scaup]] &ndash; which are [[diving duck]]s &ndash; make a noise like "scaup" (hence their name). Calls may be loud displaying calls or quieter contact calls.

A common [[urban legend]] claims that duck quacks do not echo; however, this has been proven 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 news | last = Amos | first = Jonathan | title = Sound science is quackers | work = BBC News | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3086890.stm | access-date = 2006-11-02 | date=2003-09-08}}</ref> It was also debunked in [[MythBusters (2003 season)#Does a Duck's Quack Echo?|one of the earlier episodes]] of the popular Discovery Channel television show ''[[MythBusters]]''.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://mythbustersresults.com/episode8| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626043438/http://mythbustersresults.com/episode8| url-status=usurped| archive-date=June 26, 2007|title=Mythbusters Episode 8|date=12 December 2003}}</ref>

===Predators===
[[File:Ringedteal.PNG|thumb|[[Ringed teal]]]]
Ducks have many predators. Ducklings are particularly vulnerable, since their inability to fly makes them easy prey not only for predatory birds but also for large fish like [[Esox|pike]], [[crocodilia]]ns, predatory [[testudines]] such as the [[alligator snapping turtle]], 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 [[hawk]]s or [[owl]]s.

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 uses its speed and strength to catch ducks.

==Relationship with humans==

===Hunting===
{{main|Waterfowl hunting}}
Humans have hunted ducks since prehistoric times. Excavations of [[midden]]s in California dating to 7800 – 6400 [[Before present|BP]] have turned up bones of ducks, including at least one now-extinct flightless species.{{sfn|Erlandson|1994|p=171}} Ducks were captured in "significant numbers" by [[Holocene]] inhabitants of the lower [[Ohio River]] valley, suggesting they took advantage of the seasonal bounty provided by migrating waterfowl.{{sfn|Jeffries|2008|pp=168, 243}} Neolithic hunters in locations as far apart as the Caribbean,{{sfn|Sued-Badillo|2003|p=65}} Scandinavia,{{sfn|Thorpe|1996|p=68}} Egypt,{{sfn|Maisels|1999|p=42}} Switzerland,{{sfn|Rau|1876|p=133}} and China relied on ducks as a source of protein for some or all of the year.{{sfn|Higman|2012|p=23}} Archeological evidence shows that [[Māori people]] in New Zealand hunted the flightless [[Finsch's duck]], possibly to extinction, though rat predation may also have contributed to its fate.{{sfn|Hume|2012|p=53}} A similar end awaited the [[Chatham duck]], a species with reduced flying capabilities which went extinct shortly after its island was colonised by Polynesian settlers.{{sfn|Hume|2012|p=52}} It is probable that duck eggs were gathered by Neolithic hunter-gathers as well, though hard evidence of this is uncommon.{{sfn|Sued-Badillo|2003|p=65}}{{sfn|Fieldhouse|2002|p=167}}

In many areas, wild ducks (including ducks farmed and released into the wild) are hunted for food or sport,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NViSMffyaSgC&q=%C2%A0%C2%A0In+many+areas,+wild+ducks+of+various+species+are+hunted+for+food+or+sport|title=Guide to Edible Plants and Animals|last=Livingston|first=A. D.|date=1998-01-01|publisher=Wordsworth Editions, Limited|isbn=9781853263774|language=en}}</ref> by shooting, or by being trapped using [[Duck decoy (structure)|duck decoys]]. 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". These ducks may be [[Duck (food)#Pollution|contaminated by pollutants]] such as [[Polychlorinated biphenyl|PCBs]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Study plan for waterfowl injury assessment: Determining PCB concentrations in Hudson river resident waterfowl |url=https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/fish_marine_pdf/wfp09a.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/fish_marine_pdf/wfp09a.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |website=New York State Department of Environmental Conservation |publisher=US Department of Commerce |access-date=2 July 2019 |page=3 |language=en |date=December 2008}}</ref>

===Domestication===
{{main|Domestic duck}}
[[File:Tunnel of ducks.jpg|thumb|[[Indian Runner duck]]s, a common breed of domestic ducks]]
Ducks have many economic uses, being farmed for their meat, eggs, and feathers (particularly their [[down feather|down]]). Approximately 3 billion ducks are slaughtered each year for meat worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QL|title=FAOSTAT|website=www.fao.org|access-date=2019-10-25}}</ref> They are also kept and bred by aviculturists and often displayed in zoos. Almost all the varieties of domestic ducks are descended from the [[mallard]] (''Anas platyrhynchos''), apart from the [[Muscovy duck]] (''Cairina moschata'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://digimorph.org/specimens/anas_platyrhynchos/skull/ |title=Anas platyrhynchos, Domestic Duck; DigiMorph Staff - The University of Texas at Austin |publisher=Digimorph.org |access-date=2012-12-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|author=Sy Montgomery |url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-360302/mallard |title=Mallard; Encyclopædia Britannica |encyclopedia=Britannica.com |access-date=2012-12-23}}</ref> The [[Call duck]] is another example of a domestic duck breed. Its name comes from its original use established by hunters, as a decoy to attract wild mallards from the sky, into traps set for them on the ground. The call duck is the world's smallest domestic duck breed, as it weighs less than {{convert|1|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Guinness World Records|last=Glenday|first=Craig|year=2014|isbn=978-1-908843-15-9|pages=[https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0000unse_r3e7/page/135 135]|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0000unse_r3e7/page/135}}</ref>

===Heraldry===
[[File:Maaninka.vaakuna.svg|thumb|upright=0.6|Three black-colored ducks in the coat of arms of [[Maaninka]]<ref>{{cite book | title = Suomen kunnallisvaakunat | publisher = Suomen Kunnallisliitto | year = 1982 | page = 147 | isbn = 951-773-085-3 | language = fi}}</ref>]]
Ducks appear on several [[coats of arms]], including the coat of arms of [[Lubāna]] ([[Latvia]])<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.lubana.lv/index.php/lv/homepage/lubanas-pilseta-2 | title = Lubānas simbolika | access-date = September 9, 2021 | language = lv }}</ref> and the coat of arms of [[Föglö]] ([[Åland]]).<ref>{{cite web | title = Föglö | url = http://digi.narc.fi/digi/view.ka?kuid=1738595 | access-date = September 9, 2021 | language = sv}}</ref>

===Cultural references===
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>{{cite web |last1=Young |first1=Emma |title=World's funniest joke revealed |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2876-worlds-funniest-joke-revealed/ |website=New Scientist |access-date=7 January 2019}}</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, such as [[The Walt Disney Company|Walt Disney]]'s [[Donald Duck]], and [[Warner Bros.]]' [[Daffy Duck]]. [[Howard the Duck]] started as a comic book character in 1973<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comics.org/character/name/Howard%20the%20Duck/sort/chrono/ |title=Howard the Duck (character) |website=[[Grand Comics Database]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1 = Sanderson|first1 = Peter|author-link = Peter Sanderson|last2= Gilbert|first2= Laura|chapter= 1970s|title = Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History|publisher = [[Dorling Kindersley]]|year = 2008|location= London, United Kingdom|page = 161|isbn =978-0756641238|quote= December saw the debut of the cigar-smoking Howard the Duck. In this story by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik, various beings from different realities had begun turning up in the Man-Thing's Florida swamp, including this bad-tempered talking duck.}}</ref> and was made into a [[Howard the Duck (film)|movie]] in 1986.

The 1992 Disney film ''[[The Mighty Ducks (film)|The Mighty Ducks]]'', starring [[Emilio Estevez]], chose the duck as the mascot for the fictional youth hockey team who are protagonists of the movie, based on the duck being described as a fierce fighter. This led to the duck becoming the nickname and mascot for the eventual [[National Hockey League]] professional team of the [[Anaheim Ducks]], who were founded with the name the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Anaheim Ducks, Anaheim, CA {{!}} Hockey, History & Events |url=https://www.visitanaheim.org/events/sports-events/anaheim-ducks/ |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=www.visitanaheim.org}}</ref> The duck is also the nickname of the [[University of Oregon]] sports teams as well as the [[Long Island Ducks]] minor league [[baseball]] team.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Duck|url=https://goducks.com/sports/2003/8/28/153778.aspx|access-date=2022-01-20|website=University of Oregon Athletics|language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Birds}}
* [[Domestic duck]]
* [[Duck as food]]
* [[Duck test]]
* [[List of duck breeds|Duck breeds]]
* [[List of fictional ducks|Fictional ducks]]
* [[Rubber duck]]
{{Clear}}

==Notes==
===Citations===
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |author=American Ornithologists' Union |title=Checklist of North American Birds |year=1998 |publisher=American Ornithologists' Union |location=Washington, DC |isbn=978-1-891276-00-2 |url=https://americanornithology.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/AOSChecklistTin-Falcon.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://americanornithology.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/AOSChecklistTin-Falcon.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live}} 
* {{cite book |last=Carboneras |first=Carlos |editor1-last=del Hoyo |editor1-first=Josep |editor2-last=Elliott |editor2-first=Andrew |editor3-last=Sargatal |editor3-first=Jordi |title=Handbook of the Birds of the World |volume=1: Ostrich to Ducks |year=1992 |publisher=Lynx Edicions |location=Barcelona |isbn=978-84-87334-10-8}}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Christidis |editor1-first=Les |editor2-last=Boles |editor2-first=Walter E. |year=2008 |title=Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds |publisher=Csiro Publishing |location=Collingwood, VIC |isbn=978-0-643-06511-6}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Donne-Goussé |first1=Carole |last2= Laudet |first2=Vincent |last3=Hänni |first3=Catherine |title=A molecular phylogeny of Anseriformes based on mitochondrial DNA analysis |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |date=July 2002 |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=339–356 |doi=10.1016/S1055-7903(02)00019-2|pmid=12099792 |bibcode=2002MolPE..23..339D }}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Elphick |editor1-first=Chris |editor2-last=Dunning |editor2-first=John B. Jr. |editor3-last=Sibley |editor3-first=David |title=The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behaviour |year=2001 |publisher=Christopher Helm |location=London |isbn=978-0-7136-6250-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Erlandson |first=Jon M. |title=Early Hunter-Gatherers of the California Coast |year=1994 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-1-4419-3231-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nGTaBwAAQBAJ&pg=171}}
* {{cite book |last=Fieldhouse |first=Paul |title=Food, Feasts, and Faith: An Encyclopedia of Food Culture in World Religions |volume=I: A–K |year=2002 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |location=Santa Barbara |isbn=978-1-61069-412-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P-FqDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA167}}
* {{cite book |last1=Fitter |first1=Julian |last2=Fitter |first2=Daniel |last3=Hosking |first3=David |title=Wildlife of the Galápagos |year=2000 |publisher=Princeton University Press |location=Princeton, NJ |isbn=978-0-691-10295-5}}
* {{cite book |last=Higman |first=B. W. |title=How Food Made History |year=2012 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |location=Chichester, UK |isbn=978-1-4051-8947-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YIUoz98yMvgC&pg=RA1-PA1801}}
* {{cite book |last=Hume |first=Julian H. |title=Extinct Birds |year=2012 |publisher=Christopher Helm |location=London |isbn=978-1-4729-3744-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=40sxDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA53}}
* {{cite book |last=Jeffries |first=Richard |title=Holocene Hunter-Gatherers of the Lower Ohio River Valley |year=2008 |publisher=University of Alabama Press |location=Tuscaloosa |isbn=978-0-8173-1658-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/holocenehunterga0000jeff/mode/2up}}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Kear |editor-first=Janet |title=Ducks, Geese and Swans: Species Accounts (''Cairina'' to ''Mergus'') |series=Bird Families of the World |year=2005 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-861009-0}}
* {{cite journal |last=Livezey |first=Bradley C. |title=A phylogenetic analysis of recent Anseriform genera using morphological characters |journal=The Auk |date=October 1986 |volume=103 |issue=4 |pages=737–754 |doi=10.1093/auk/103.4.737 |url=https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v103n04/p0737-p0754.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v103n04/p0737-p0754.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Madsen |first1=Cort S. |last2=McHugh |first2=Kevin P. |last3=de Kloet |first3=Siwo R. |title=A partial classification of waterfowl (Anatidae) based on single-copy DNA |date=July 1988 |journal=The Auk |volume=105 |issue=3 |pages=452–459 |doi=10.1093/auk/105.3.452 |url=https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v105n03/p0452-p0459.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v105n03/p0452-p0459.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite book |last=Maisels |first=Charles Keith |title=Early Civilizations of the Old World |year=1999 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=978-0-415-10975-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I2dgI2ijww8C&pg=PA42}}
* {{cite book |last1=Pratt |first1=H. Douglas |last2=Bruner |first2=Phillip L. |last3=Berrett |first3=Delwyn G. |title=A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific |location=Princeton, NJ |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=1987 |isbn=0-691-02399-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Rau |first=Charles |title=Early Man in Europe |year=1876 |publisher=Harper & Brothers |location=New York |lccn=05040168 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9XBgAAAAIAAJ&pg=133}}
* {{cite book |last=Shirihai |first=Hadoram |title=A Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife |year=2008 |publisher=Princeton University Press |location=Princeton, NJ, US |isbn=978-0-691-13666-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Sued-Badillo |first=Jalil |series=General History of the Caribbean |title=Autochthonous Societies |year=2003 |publisher=UNESCO |location=Paris |isbn=978-92-3-103832-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zexcW7q-4LgC&pg=PA65}}
* {{cite book |last=Thorpe |first=I. J. |title=The Origins of Agriculture in Europe |year=1996 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York |isbn=978-0-415-08009-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YA-EAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA68}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{sister project links|d=Q3736439|wikt=duck|c=Anatidae|n=no|b=Cookbook:Duck|q=Birds|s=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|species=Anatidae}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060613210555/http://seaducks.org/subjects/MIGRATION%20AND%20FLIGHT.htm list of books] (useful looking abstracts)
* [http://www.stampsbook.org/subject/Duck.html Ducks on postage stamps] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513022903/http://www.stampsbook.org/subject/Duck.html |date=2013-05-13 }}
* {{gutenberg|no=18884|name=Ducks at a Distance, by Rob Hines}} - A modern illustrated guide to identification of US waterfowl

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ducks| ]]
[[Category:Game birds]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Bird common names]]