All About Birds Pg 3
Waterfowl
From Daffy Duck to Mother Goose, waterfowl seem to be
some of the most popular birds to turn into cartoon characters.
Perhaps it's the oversized bills, the nasal QUACK/HONK or the slight
waddle in the walk that make these birds such a fond part of children's
literature and television. Whatever the attraction, these ugly
ducklings have been turning into swans for generations.
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mallard ducks |
The main characteristic of ducks, geese and swans (known
as waterfowl) is that they all love to swim. Although they have
somewhat different diets, they all spend a lot of time in the water.
Ducks and swans dip, duck and dive to get at insects, snails, small fish
and water plants. Geese mainly graze on land in fields and meadows
eating plants, grass and seeds. |
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When they aren't in the water, waterfowl waddle their
way through life.
Swans and most ducks are clumsy and awkward on
land. Some kinds of ducks can barely walk at all, and hardly ever
leave the water. Geese are a bit better at walking, since they spend
a lot of time feeding on land, but you can still make out the waddle if
you watch them for awhile.
Those awkward legs are great in the water though.
The legs are quite far apart and the feet are webbed which makes waterfowl
a graceful group of swimmers.
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mute swan (trumpeter swans have black bills,
mute swans have orange bills) |
redhead duck |
With a Quack, Quack here and a Meow,
Meow there?
Ducks say "quack". Geese and swans say
"honk"... right?
Well, for the most part that is true, but although many
geese do honk and most ducks do quack, others make altogether different
sounds. |
Some geese cackle and cluck like hens and chickens. Some
ducks squeal, squeak and cluck. And a male Redhead Duck MEOWS like
a cat.
... I'll bet that confuses the other birds in the marsh!
Bills, bills, bills
When we spoke about raptors, we noted that their beaks
were hooked and pointed for tearing flesh.
Waterfowl have very different beaks (or bills).
They are flat and rounded. Perfect for rooting around in soft marsh
soil for plants and small animals |
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geese |
Of all the cute images of waterfowl you'll
find in books and cartoons, the image of mom followed by a row of little
waddling goslings (or ducklings) is the cutest.
Most waterfowl build their nests near the water's
edge. Though there are some ducks that make their nests in trees or
holes in the ground.
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Baby waterfowl hatch with their eyes open and can walk and
swim right away. While the babies are growing up, first one parent and
then the other molts or sheds the long wing and tail feathers. While they
are molting, the parent cannot fly. But by the end of summer, both parents
have grown new feathers as have the young ones, so they are all able to migrate
together.
And that brings us to the last characteristic of waterfowl --
most of them migrate. They form flocks (or groups) of birds and form
familiar patterns in the sky. Some like the Canada
Geese, fly in a pattern
shaped like a V. Others such as Black Brants fly in a single slanting
line.
Although these patterns may seem odd, they have a very
important purpose. The first goose in line pushes through the air and
makes a path for the others. It really does make it easier for the others
to fly! When the leader gets tired, it drops back and another moves up to
take its place!
Mallard Duck:
  
 
Scientific information:
Waterfowl make up the scientific "order" Anseriformes. Within this
order are the "families" Anhimidae and Anatidae -- most
of the waterfowl fall into the second family.
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BIRDS
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