Duck

Duck, name collectively applied to numerous species of a family of waterfowl. Ducks differ from geese and swans of the same family by their shorter necks and legs and other anatomical differences. Ducks inhabit all continents except Antarctica, and most of the world's islands. The legs of most ducks are placed far apart and toward the rear, making them awkward walkers but efficient swimmers. The underplumage, or down, which is buoyant and insulating, is kept water-resistant by frequent preening with oil from a gland, called the uropygial or preen gland, at the base of the tail feathers. Ducks, with the exception of mergansers, have spatulate bills lined with bony notches, or lamellae, for straining plant and animal matter from water.

Some island species have lost the power of flight, but most ducks of northern continents are highly migratory. In a few species, the sexes are alike in color, but in most the males are brighter and more boldly patterned.

COURTSHIP AND REPRODUCTION
Ducks have elaborate courtship displays, each unique to its species. Pair formation in most northern-hemisphere ducks takes place in winter: hence, unlike most birds with seasonal plumage, males wear their bright plumage in winter, and briefly assume a femalelike "eclipse" plumage during the summer. Nests of most species are on the ground, containing from 4 to 12 eggs, surrounded by down feathers plucked from the female's breast and belly. Ducklings are able to swim and feed themselves soon after they hatch. Some species, such as the wood duck of North America, nest in holes in trees and will accept artificial nest boxes. Their ducklings can jump from their nests without injury, and take to the water soon afterwards.

MIGRATION
Distances covered by migrating ducks vary with the species. One arctic duck, the spectacled eider, winters at sea off Alaska. Long-distance champion among American ducks is the blue-winged teal, which nests in most of North America and winters from the southern United States to Argentina.

KINDS OF DUCKS
Experts disagree about the classification of ducks into subfamilies and tribes, but the hundred or so species include a number of obvious groups. Most familiar are the dabbling or surface-feeding ducks, which include the mallard, ancestor of most domestic ducks. Members of this group live primarily on fresh water, where they glean plants and small aquatic animals from the surface or from shallow bottoms that they can reach without diving. The pochards, including the canvasback, nest on fresh water, but winter, often in very large flocks, both on inland lakes and along the coasts; they feed by diving. Another group of diving ducks, including the goldeneyes and the bufflehead, nest in tree holes. The mergansers are specialized for catching fish; the edges of their bills have sharp, toothlike serrations for holding slippery prey. Most marine of the North American ducks are the eiders and scoters, which nest in the far north and winter predominantly at sea.

DOMESTIC DUCKS
All except one breed of domestic duck are derived from the mallard, originally tamed in Eurasia. The exception is the muscovy duck, a large species of the American tropics. Wild muscovies are mostly black, but the commonest domestic variety is white, with knobby, naked red skin around the face and bill. It and the turkey are the only domestic birds that originated in the Americas.

Scientific classification: Ducks belong to the family Anatidae of the order Anseriformes. The wood duck is classified as Aix sponsa, the spectacled eider as Somateria fischeri, and the blue-winged teal as Anas discors. The mallard is classified as Anas platyrhynchos and the muscovy duck as Cairina moschata.

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