IV.

Dabbling, Diving, and Perching Ducks

Two of the largest groups of ducks are the dabbling ducks and the diving ducks. Dabbling ducks feed largely near the surface of the water. They prefer shallow waters where they can upend their bodies to reach food on the bottom. They are often found in ponds, creeks, and shallow lakes. Diving ducks plunge underwater to feed and may dive deep. They prefer deeper, more open waters, such as large lakes, bays, and seas or oceans.

Mallards are the most familiar dabbling ducks in North America, and the most common ducks in the world. Other common dabblers are gadwalls, pintails, teals, and wigeons. Shelducks are common surface-feeders of Africa, Asia, and Europe, although they are not usually classified as dabblers. Diving ducks include canvasbacks, goldeneyes, redheads, ring-necked ducks, and scaup. Other ducks that dive but are not classified as divers include mergansers and ruddy ducks. The stiff tail feathers of the ruddy duck act like a rudder when the duck swims underwater.

Perching ducks have long tails and short legs and can sit in trees, although they rarely do. The wood duck is an example of a perching duck. It builds its nest in trees or logs. Diving, dabbling, and perching ducks are sometimes classified as a subfamily. Other subfamilies include whistling ducks; stiff-tail and freckled ducks; shelducks; and eiders, scoters, mergansers, and other sea ducks.

A.

Domestic Ducks

People raise domestic ducks for meat and eggs or keep them in backyards as pets. Ducks and geese were domesticated at least two thousand years ago. Except for the Muscovy duck, all breeds of domesticated ducks derive from the wild mallard, the first duck to be domesticated, probably in Europe. The white Pekin and the brown-and-white Saxony are domestic ducks bred from the mallard. The Muscovy, which was domesticated in Central or South America, is a large duck with greenish black feathers and red wattles.