This page will contain videos about Duck, as they become available.DuckFor other uses, see Duck (disambiguation). |
| Subfamilies |
|---|
| Dendrocygninae Oxyurinae Anatinae Merginae |
Duck is the common name for a number of species in the Anatidae family of birds. The ducks are divided between several subfamilies listed in full in the Anatidae article. Ducks are mostly aquatic birds, mostly smaller than their relatives the swans and geese, and may be found in both fresh and salt water.
Ducks exploit a variety of food sources such as grasses, grains and aquatic plants, fish, and insects. Some, the diving ducks forage underwater, the others, the dabbling ducks, feed from the surface or on land.
The sound made by some female ducks is called a "quack"; a common (and false) urban legend is that quacks do not produce an echo (false, because the acoustic variances of both a duck's quack and its echo are so similar, they almost swallow one another).
The males (drakes) of northern species often have showy plumage, but this is moulted in summer to give a more female-like appearance, the "eclipse" plumage. In many species, moulting birds are temporarily flightless; they seek out protected habitat with good food supplies during this period. This moult typically precedes migration.
Some duck species, mainly those breeding in the temperate and arctic Northern Hemisphere, are migratory, but others are not. Some, particularly in Australia where rainfall is patchy and erratic, are nomadic, seeking out the temporary lakes and pools that form after localised heavy rain.
In many areas, wild ducks of various species are hunted for food or sport, by shooting, or formerly by decoys. From this came the expression "sitting duck" to mean "an easy target".
Ducks have many economic uses, being farmed for their meat, eggs, feathers and down feathers. Most domestic ducks were bred from the wild Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos, but many breeds have become much larger than their wild ancestor, with a "hull length" (from base of neck to base of tail) of 30 cm (12 inches) or more and routinely able to swallow an adult British Common Frog, Rana temporaria, whole.
Ducks are sometimes confused with several types of unrelated water birds with similar forms, such as loons or divers, grebes, gallinules, and coots.
The word duck meaning the bird, came from the verb "to duck" meaning to bend down as if to get under something, because of the way many species in the dabbling duck group feed by upending (compare the Dutch word duiken = "to dive").
This happened because the older Old English word for "duck" came to be pronounced the same as the word for "end": other Germanic languages still have similar words for "duck" and "end": for example, Dutch eend = "duck", eind = "end"; compare Latin anas (stem anat-) = "duck", Sanskrit anta (masc.) = "end", Lithuanian antis = "duck".
|
This happened because the older Old English word for "duck" came to be pronounced the same as the word for "end": other Germanic languages still have similar words for "duck" and "end": for example, Dutch eend = "duck", eind = "end"; compare Latin anas (stem anat-) = "duck", Sanskrit anta (masc.) = "end", Lithuanian antis = "duck". . The word duck meaning the bird, came from the verb "to duck" meaning to bend down as if to get under something, because of the way many species in the dabbling duck group feed by upending (compare the Dutch word duiken = "to dive"). Fantasia may refer to one of several things. . Such usage, however, is rare in modern English, and often is a result of Engrish usage by foreigners. Ducks are sometimes confused with several types of unrelated water birds with similar forms, such as loons or divers, grebes, gallinules, and coots. In some contexts, fantasia can refer to charisma or imagination. Most domestic ducks were bred from the wild Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos, but many breeds have become much larger than their wild ancestor, with a "hull length" (from base of neck to base of tail) of 30 cm (12 inches) or more and routinely able to swallow an adult British Common Frog, Rana temporaria, whole. Show tango, also called Fantasia, is a more theatrical and exaggerated form of Argentine tango developed to suit the stage. Ducks have many economic uses, being farmed for their meat, eggs, feathers and down feathers. one of the stage names used by porn star Brooke Ashley. From this came the expression "sitting duck" to mean "an easy target". in the film The Neverending Story, a fictional world containing all of human fantasy; it is also the name used in the original novel, although in the English translation, it is called Fantastica. In many areas, wild ducks of various species are hunted for food or sport, by shooting, or formerly by decoys. Fantasia Festival, a genre film festival held each summer in Montreal. Some, particularly in Australia where rainfall is patchy and erratic, are nomadic, seeking out the temporary lakes and pools that form after localised heavy rain. Fantasia, a 2004 Hong Kong film starring Cecilia Cheung, Lau Ching Wan, Louis Koo and Jordan Chan. Some duck species, mainly those breeding in the temperate and arctic Northern Hemisphere, are migratory, but others are not. Fantasia 2000, the 1999 sequel to the above film. This moult typically precedes migration. Fantasia, a 1940 film produced by Walt Disney, combining animated segments set to classical music with live-action wraparounds.
The males (drakes) of northern species often have showy plumage, but this is moulted in summer to give a more female-like appearance, the "eclipse" plumage. Fantasia Barrino, or simply Fantasia, the 2004 American Idol contest winner. The sound made by some female ducks is called a "quack"; a common (and false) urban legend is that quacks do not produce an echo (false, because the acoustic variances of both a duck's quack and its echo are so similar, they almost swallow one another). Fantasia, a 1986 album by Franco De Vita. Some, the diving ducks forage underwater, the others, the dabbling ducks, feed from the surface or on land. Fantasia para un Gentilhombre, a 1954 work by the Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo. Ducks exploit a variety of food sources such as grasses, grains and aquatic plants, fish, and insects. Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, composed in 1910 by British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. Ducks are mostly aquatic birds, mostly smaller than their relatives the swans and geese, and may be found in both fresh and salt water. Fantasia Contrappuntistica, a solo piano piece composed by Ferruccio Busoni. The ducks are divided between several subfamilies listed in full in the Anatidae article. Fantasia, a free musical composition structured according to the composer's fancy.
Wade Duck from U.S. Talking ducks in duck jokes. Jemimah Puddleduck from the British children author Beatrix Potter. Awdry is better known as Duck. W. Montague, a steam engine from The Railway Series by Rev. Jonathin Quackup. Howard the Duck. The Mighty Ducks movies. The Aflac duck. The duck in the traditional song "Froggy would a-wooing go"; at the end it swallowed the frog. Psyduck and Golduck from the trading card game and Anime series Pokémon. Duckman Drake, a humanoid shotgun-wielding duck from the Timesplitters video games. Joey's and Chandler's pet "The Duck" from the popular American sitcom Friends. Various mascots, including the University of Oregon Ducks, the Long Island Ducks minor league baseball team, the National Hockey League's Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and the United Hockey League's Quad City Mallards. Kwak, Dutch cartoon character. Alfred J. Warner Bros.' Daffy Duck and Plucky Duck. They are modeled after the Pekin duck. Walt Disney's Donald Duck, Huey, Dewey and Louie Duck, Daisy Duck, Scrooge McDuck, and Darkwing Duck. The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen (In the end not actually a duckling, but a Cygnet). Kyanchome from the anime series Zatch Bell. |