Types Of Ducks

The number of ducks, according to 2019 statistics, amounted to about 38.9 million ducks, distributed among 3 basic types, and a number of varieties branch out from each type, and these types are:

surface ducks.
plunger ducks
Perched duck.

surface ducks

The term surface ducks refers to the types of ducks that are able to fly in the air and swim in the water, without diving and without wetting the tail, and the number of their types is about 43 species, and among the most prominent varieties of surface ducks are the following :

Mandarin duck

The origins of Mandarin ducks go back to the Far East, and these species tend to build nests for them in trees, and they can swim over water, and their age is generally estimated at about 6 years, and the most important thing that distinguishes the males of this species is the extreme beauty of the orange feathers on each From the cheeks, back and sides, while females can be considered normal.

Mandarin ducks live isolated, or in pairs most of the time, but in winter they prefer to live in larger groups, and for the mandarin diet includes:

insects.
Frogs are small.
fish.
snail.
Cereals and nuts.

Black American duck

The external appearance of males and females of the American Black Duck looks similar, with some slight differences, such as the color of the beak, which is yellow in males, while it is light green in females, and as for the color of the plumage, both are generally dark, with The possibility of noticing the white color on the lower parts of the body while flying in the air.

American black ducks tend to live in humid environments, such as the coast of the Atlantic Ocean or near valleys of large rivers, and feed on plants and animals in the water, such as:

insects.
slugs.
crustaceans.
Amphibians.

American Pudding

The green stripe extending from the eye to the end of the head is the most important characteristic of the male American Wigeon, in addition to the presence of a white spot in the middle of the forehead. As for the color of the bluish-black beak, and the legs that range between gray and blue, they are two common features. between the sexes in general.

American ducks are endemic throughout North America, migrate during the winter seasons usually, and move to the regions of Central America and the Caribbean Sea, in addition to northern Colombia and Trinidad, and as for feeding this type of duck, it feeds on grass in moist aquatic environments.

Blue-winged teal

The blue-winged teal duck was named by this name in relation to the bluish-gray feathers that cover the upper parts of the wings of both males and females. The color of the beak of the male of this duck is black, and its legs vary between yellow to orange. Dark gray, and its legs are yellowish brown.

This type of duck breeds in grassy and moist places, and the nesting places are constantly changing in search of moisture, and the diet includes:

aquatic plants.
cereal.
Aquatic invertebrates.

Cinnamon wild duck

Cinnamon Teal is named by this name due to the color of the feathers of the males of this species similar to the color of cinnamon at the head, neck and chest, while for the females it is completely different, as it is very similar to the females of the wild duck and blue-winged, so that some do not It is easy to distinguish between them sometimes.

This type of duck is one of the species that is not widespread in North America, but it is even considered one of the least species present there, and the cinnamon ducks tend to migrate in winter towards Mexico and Central America, and as for its diet, it includes:

aquatic plants.
insects.
slugs.

Eurasian saray ducks

The Eurasian Wigeon is similar to the American duck in shape, especially the females, as it is difficult to distinguish between the females of the two species in general, while the males can rely on the burgundy color of the head characteristic of the Eurasian in distinction, and its sides are gray in color, and its neck is black. With scattered red spots.

Eurasian sway ducks feed mainly on aquatic plants and grasses, and females tend to nest on the ground in areas close to aquatic environments. This species spreads and reproduces in:

Iceland.
British Isles.
Scandinavian countries.
Eastern Siberia.
Kamchatka.
Northern Europe.
Southern Russia.
Southern China.

Samaritan ducks

The Samaritan duck is a species of medium-sized duck, settled in North America in almost constant numbers, and is not distinguished by attractive colors in general, and the females of this species are similar to its males in appearance, except that the female feathers have some patterns, while the male is the color of its feathers The upper part is uniformly greyish-brown.

The Samaritan duck depends mainly on aquatic plants for its food, and its diet includes:

herbs.
algae.
Seeds.
invertebrates.

Green-winged ellipse duck

The origins of the Green-winged Teal duck go back to North America, and it is considered one of the types of small ducks. It is also possible to distinguish easily between males and females of this species through the color of the feathers that cover each of them. The female is generally brown and spotted. The male, his body contains a number of distributed colors, such as chestnut, gray, and brown tilted to pink.

The diet of green-winged ducks is varied, as it feeds on all of the following:

Seeds.
herbs.
water bugs
slugs.
crustaceans.
Frogs are small.

teal

The wild duck is a large species, and it is distinguished by its ability to swim in the water without wetting the tail, in addition to its ability to fly with its wide wings, and the males of this species are distinguished by the color of the green head, and the distinctive yellow beak. They are mottled brown, and their beaks are orange-brown.

Ducks live in moist habitats in general, and are spread widely throughout the United States of America, and they are among the birds that begin their migration early in the fall season, and thus their migration period is longer compared to other types of ducks, as for the diet of wild ducks, it is focused Primarily on aquatic plants, including their seeds, tubers, and roots.

wooden duck

Wood ducks are classified as one of the most beautiful types of ducks or even all waterfowl. The males of this species are distinguished by bright feather colors that combine chestnut and green, along with some iridescent colors. As for the females, they are distinguished by their attractive shapes and the white ocean that revolves around their eyes. .

Wood ducks are distinguished by their high ability to cling to tree branches using their strong claws, and they generally tend to nest in tree holes near water swamps or lakes, so that the young can move to the aquatic environment easily, as they are able to jump from heights of up to 15 meters sometimes without being injured. any harm.

Northern bulbul duck

The northern pintall duck is distinguished by its length and thinness. It is named by this name in relation to the shape of its tail and its length, which represents a quarter of the length of its body. The color of the back of the male is dark gray, and its beak is bluish-grey, while the female is distinguished by its dark brown color in the upper parts of the body. Its beak is bluish-grey with some black spots.

Northern bulbul ducks are common in North America, but it is one of the species whose numbers have been decreasing since the fifties, and this decrease can be explained by changing environmental conditions that negatively affected its ability to nest, as grasslands receded, and agricultural land uses differed significantly.

Northern shoveler duck

The northern shoveler duck is called by this name in relation to the shape of its large beak, which is similar to a spoon, as its expansion increases by moving to the tip, as for the external shape of both males and females, it can be distinguished very easily, and these ducks are endemic to North American regions in particular. .

These birds tend to migrate in the winter seasons to settle in areas with fresh or brackish water, and avoid salt water to a large extent. As for the way of eating, it is distinctive, as this duck resorts to sifting methods in food, as it filters the water to get the plankton in it, Which includes:

insects.
slugs.
algae.
insects.
crustaceans.

Plunger ducks

Diving ducks are also called sea ducks, and they are distinguished by their ability to dive to search for food, and the number of species is about 20 species, and among the most prominent types are the following:

Black Scooter Duck

Black Scoter ducks can be easily distinguished from a distance as the males are velvety black with orange beaks, while the females are brown. These birds are among the birds that make noise with their loud voices, especially the males that do not stop humming, as That individuals of this species perform what can be called a show while moving between water and sky.

This type of migratory species is winter, and black scooter ducks feed on:

algae.
slugs.
crustaceans.
The fish is small in size.
herbs.

The golden-eyed duck

Golden-eyed ducks generally live in small groups, and they may tend to live in larger groups sometimes, and the members of the group begin diving at the same moment when searching for food, and these individuals remain isolated from other animals and waterfowl, and they may sometimes be called The name of the whistling duck is due to the whistling sound made by its wings during flight.

The father leaves the nest after the eggs hatch when breeding, to leave the task of caring for the ducklings to their mother, and the mother works to take care of them, except that they rely on themselves in search of food, and the golden duck gets its food in general from water bodies, and its food includes the following:

small fish.
tadpoles.
crustaceans.
slugs.
sea worms.
water bugs
aquatic plants.

The duck is fluff-headed

The bufflehead duck can be described as a small and fat duck, with a large head and a small, wide beak. This duck is born gray in gender, with an oval part in white on the cheek area. As for adult males, their backs are white and their heads are dark. With a white color on the upper part of the wing.

Male fluff-headed ducks try to attract the attention of females by swimming with the head moving up and down. These types of ducks also live in forest areas, nesting in tree cavities close to ponds or lakes, and their migration usually begins in the spring.

Canvasback Duck

Canvasback ducks are large and fast-flying species, and they are also very careful. Their mass migration begins at the end of the fall season and the beginning of spring, and they form a V letter in the sky, and they migrate when they feel dry towards the north.

A number of males try to attract the attention of the same female at one time by moving their heads forward and backward, and these birds usually mate during the spring migration path, and the female usually undertakes the task of building the nest from dry branches, and prefers that it be a large nest, as the female takes care of her young for a while short and encourages them to step into the water at an early age.

Common eider duck

The common eider duck builds its nests in open spaces, and females prefer to build them in groups or in isolation, and this type of duck is the largest ever in all the northern hemisphere, and the body is full, and the head tends to be below the level of body while flying in space.

The common eider includes 4 subspecies of ducks, distributed in:

Pacific.
Hudson Bay.
Atlantic Ocean.

Common Baloch duck

Common Merganser spreads in wooded areas, and places its nests inside the crevices of trees, or builds them among bushes intertwined with branches, and sometimes resorts to living in abandoned nests that were once owned by falcons, and in general, Balkhash ducks tend to live near bodies of water with water Clear freshwater, to make it easier to locate its prey under water before diving, and pounce on it.

The diet of the common Baloch duck consists of all of the following:

fish.
amphibians.
mollusks.
crustaceans.

Scooby ducks

Scooby ducks are the only type of plunger ducks that live in the Arctic, and tend to move to live in very large groups on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts during winter, and the males of this type of ducks are distinguished by black and white colored feathers, while the females It is brown, and the scooping ducks focus on aquatic plants in their feeding, in addition to the invertebrates scattered in the water.

The number of scooped ducks has decreased significantly since the 1980s, and among the reasons for this decrease are the following:

pollution.
Declining female numbers.
Changes seen in the natural habitat for reproduction.
Changes in food resources.

Harlequin ducks

The Harlequin Duck is classified among the small species of diving ducks, and is distinguished by the striking inscriptions spread on its body, and the male shape is attractive compared to the brown female with white spots scattered on the face. It can be said that the life of the clown duck is difficult and harsh, as it often lives At rough rocks, and moving water at high speeds.

Clown ducks settle in two main areas: the shores of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and tend to search for areas far from human eyes during the breeding seasons. As for the food of these ducks, it depends mainly on all of the following:

crustaceans.
slugs.
insects.
small fish.
roe.

Masked Baloch duck

Hooded Merganser ducks are spread throughout most of North America, and they do not tend to live alone, as they are usually found either in pairs or small groups, and prefer to choose trees near ponds and swamps for nesting, and move away from the oceans entirely in winter, in search of Quieter places.

The masked Baloch duck is one of the small species of diving ducks, and the males can be distinguished from the females very easily, as the male is colored black and white, while his chest has zebra stripes, and his sides are distinguished by a brown color like cinnamon, while the females are completely different, as they are completely brown .

King eider ducks

The King Eider is endemic in the Arctic, and is considered one of the most beautiful types of ducks that tend in winter to choose warmer places towards the lower latitudes of the North Pole, preferring to live alone or in small groups scattered in the oceans. It is rare in small lakes.

Most of the color of the males’ body feathers is white except for some areas, such as the chest area, for example, which are white, while the females are brown in color, and that is why some sometimes confuse them with ordinary eider ducks. The king eider is distinguished by its ability to dive to relatively great depths in the water. It even reached a depth of 55 m, according to the recorded statistics.

Scoop duck

Scoop ducks are generally found in moist habitats, especially near bodies of water with limited space and preferably fresh as well, and tend to live in pairs or groups, and from the areas they are generally endemic to, from North America to the northern extremities of South America.

The black color predominates in the feathers of male scoop ducks, while brown predominates in females, and the diet of this type of duck consists of all of the following:

Weed.
wild rice.
crustaceans.
slugs.
aquatic insects.
The fish is small in size.

Long-tailed duck

The male long-tailed duck has long and distinctive tail feathers throughout the year, and this type of duck is generally characterized by its small size and agility, in addition to its round-shaped head and small beak, and the black color predominates in males in general while they are Brown females and young.

Long-tailed ducks are described with their remarkable and distinctive ability in swimming and diving, while their flight is considered random, and tends to breed near humid environments in the Arctic, As for the nature of nutrition, this type of duck accepts both molluscs and crustaceans.

Red-breasted duck

The red-breasted duck is classified among the large species with long and graceful bodies of diving ducks, and is generally characterized by a long neck and beak, and the most important characteristic of it is the presence of feathers in a scattered appearance on top of the head, and the chest of brown males that tends to the color of cinnamon .

Both males and females of this species can fly, and during flight the head level is higher than the feet, while while swimming the red-breasted duck is low in the water, immersing part of its head so that it can catch fish using its toothed beak.

Red-headed duck

The red-headed duck was given this name in relation to the color of the red head of the male of this type, and the head of the female is usually reddish-brown. This type of duck feeds on all of the following:

herbs.
aquatic plants.
slugs.
insects.
The fish is small in size.

The female red-headed duck behaves intrusively with regard to the nursery of her children, as she gets rid of her eggs by placing them in the nests of other birds to take care of them instead, and these ducks generally tend to live in large groups, and the group numbers reach about 60,000 individuals spread in the bays.

Round-necked ducks

The ring-necked duck is named by this name in relation to a ring on its neck that is almost hidden. This type of duck has great strength that enables it to dive into the water and then take off by jumping directly from the water up to fly without this being stressful. for him.

Round-necked ducks pick up their food from the water at specific depths, and their food includes: plants and water insects, and their appetite for the type of food varies according to the season and the natural environment in which they live, and they also begin to think about breeding during the winter seasons usually, and this stage is preceded by a stage of performances in which they try In which the male attracts the attention of the female.

Spectacled duck

Spectacled ducks are among the species that are widespread in the Arctic regions, and they are called by this name because of the presence of glasses-like shape in both males and females, as the color of the males’ glasses is white, while the females’ glasses are generally pale.

Spectacled ducks get their food by diving to pick it up from under the water, and they also get their food while walking on land sometimes, and the food of this type of duck includes all of the following:

slugs.
crustaceans.
water bugs
aquatic plants.

Steller’s eider ducks

The Stellers Eider duck is a small species of duck with long tails and beaks. The color of the males of this species is orange from the lower region, while its head is white, and its sides, back, and tail are black. As for The female Steller’s eider duck is generally brown in color.

These ducks take a distinctive method of turning their prey in order to stress them, and they can dive to great depths to catch their prey, and they generally tend to live in groups, and these groups settle in the high areas in the Arctic, and then resort to migration in winter.

Surf scooter ducks

Surf Scoter ducks are classified among medium-sized diver ducks, and are distinguished by their large head and heavy broad beak. As for the colors, the males have a beautiful dark black color and orange beaks, while the females are dark brown with dark gray beaks.

Surf scooter ducks generally resort to surfing and floating above the water to take a break, while diving only when they need to search for prey they capture. This type of duck migrates in very large flocks, to start breeding during the winter seasons.

White-winged scooter duck

The white-winged Scoter duck is a type of plump belly, and the reason for its name is due to the white color of its broad wings, which can be clearly seen during its flight, and this color can be visible even while on the ground. the earth.

These birds nest in the northern forests, which are characterized by dense trees and short lengths in general, and it is preferable to be close to fresh or salty water, depending on the season, and the ducks feed by catching prey from the water using their beaks, and the mating seasons between males and females begin in the winter periods, preceded by a stage of acquaintance.