All over the world, hunters love to hunt wild ducks for the sake of tasty and healthy meat and valuable down. There are a large number of waterfowl species, many of them have long been tamed. A domesticated duck is unpretentious in care and maintenance, produces offspring without problems, only needs a pond located close to the poultry house and protein-rich food.
What does a wild duck look like?
The Anatidae family of the Anseriformes order includes about 150 species, divided into 50 genera.Many wild species have long been domesticated by humans, are used for meat and fluff, and lay high-calorie eggs. The most common species on the globe is mallard ducks (also known as mallards).
Behavioral and external characteristics that unite all wild ducks:
- settlement near water bodies;
- predominantly nomadic lifestyle (sedentary in a few species);
- inability to soar in the air (the duck is characterized by a heavy and hasty flight, accompanied by loud screams, frequent and noisy flapping of its wings);
- streamlined body structure, adapted for a semi-aquatic lifestyle, with a small head and a medium-length neck;
- light weight (does not exceed 3 kg);
- smooth plumage with fatty lubricant that does not allow moisture to pass through, and a voluminous layer of down;
- a flattened beak adapted for capturing food from the surface or in the water column;
- the mouth is equipped with horny plates through which food is filtered;
- sexual dimorphism (the drake looks very different from the female, is larger in weight, has a brighter and more interesting color).
Bird species
The wild duck lives on all continents, which makes hunting convenient. In Russia and the CIS, the most common mallard is the common mallard - a desirable object for both commercial and sport hunters. Its dietary meat, rich in vitamins and iron, is suitable for preparing soups and main courses, and is served in the best restaurants in the world. You can taste duck meat, for example, in the Moscow “Cacciatore”, the French “Ecole Valentin”, and the Prague “Konopiste”.
Soft duck down, characterized by a long service life, is used for the production of bed linen and winter clothing. Some wild species are considered harmful; they eat cereal crops, but at the same time destroy insects and weed seeds.Other species are scarce not only due to hunting, but also due to habitat destruction.
The most common wild varieties are described in the table:
| Name | Weight, kg | Length, cm | Color | Habitat | Peculiarities |
| mallard | 1,5-1,8 | 60 | in the male, the head and neck are iridescent green, the chest is brown, the wings and belly are gray; the female is grayish-brown with black speckles | forest and steppe reservoirs | during underwater hunting, a duck dives vertically, leaving its tail above the surface of the water |
| black mallard | 0,8-1,3 | 55 | gray body with dark speckles, the crown of the head is dark, the cheeks and chest are light gray | Sakhalin, Japanese Islands, southern regions of Siberia | there are about a million individuals left in the world |
| Shoveler | 0,6-1 | 45-50 | the female is grayish-brown with speckles; the drake has a dark green head and neck, a white chest, and reddish-brown flight feathers | temperate climate zone of the Northern Hemisphere | the duck is silent, quacks only in moments of danger; beak is disproportionately large – up to 7 cm |
| pintail | 0,7-1,3 | 55-65 | the female is light brown with black speckles; The male has a brown head, white chest, gray back with black speckles | open, steppe and tundra reservoirs | The male has a long, needle-shaped tail |
| teal-whistle | 0,3-0,4 | 35 | speckled brown duck; the drake has a red-brown head, bluish-gray wings, yellow markings on the sides of the tail, and a pink chest | forest and forest-steppe shallow water bodies | the smallest river wild duck |
| teal | 0,4 | 40 | the color is like that of a teal, only the drake has a wide white stripe above the eyes | Temperate climate areas of Eurasia | The duck got its name from its peculiar cry - booming, crackling |
| marble teal | 0,4-0,5 | 40-45 | ashen with light speckles | lakes and swamps of Southern Europe and Central Asia | the duck is small in number, as its habitats are disappearing |
| wigeon | 0,6-1 | 45-50 | reddish-brown duck; gray drake with a brown head and a white spot on the forehead | forest-steppe and forest-tundra reservoirs from the Far East to Iceland | fly in large flocks, up to 4 thousand individuals |
| killer whale | 0,8-1 | 50 | gray duck with dark speckles; the male has a yellowish-green head and a black and white stripe on his neck | Asia | the wings are decorated with long, crescent-shaped feathers |
| turn black | 0,6-0,8 | 40-45 | the female is red-brown; The male has a white belly, the main color is black with purple-green tints | large bodies of water in Eurasia | the duck is capable of diving to depths of up to 7 m; the drake's head is decorated with a small crest |
| gray duck | 0,9 | 50 | the body is gray with black speckles on the chest, the tail is black | Eurasia and North America | a drake in flight screams like a crow |
| merganser | 0,9-2 | 55-65 | head brown, chest and belly white, back black, wings gray | forest-tundra reservoirs of America, Northern Europe, Western Siberia | appearance is average between a duck and a goose |
| average merganser | 0,8-1 | 50-55 | brown-gray duck; the male has a pink-gray chest, black head and back, white belly | northern regions of America and Eurasia | the back of the head is decorated with a small tuft |
| scaly merganser | 1,5 | 55-60 | the head and wings are black, the chest and belly are white, the back is decorated with a bluish mesh pattern, the beak is red | Far East, China, Korean Peninsula | a rare species, several thousand individuals remain in the world; duck lays eggs in hollow trees |
Lifestyle and habitat
The wild duck is found everywhere except in the polar regions. Some species (for example, the mallard) inhabit vast territories, while the range of others is limited to several thousand square kilometers.Wild waterfowl live near bodies of standing water, shallow, slow-flowing rivers and marshy areas.
The birds live in reed and bush thickets and rarely come ashore. Despite their shy behavior, many species are found in urban water bodies. They are attracted there by the abundance of food.
Flocks are formed only during the migration period. The wild duck prefers a solitary existence, in pairs or in a small group. Pairs are created in the spring. Molting makes males almost indistinguishable from females. Moreover, drakes sometimes molt so intensely that they lose the ability to fly.
The wild duck living in northern latitudes is a migratory bird. Flies to humid tropical or subtropical regions when the body of water is covered with ice. If the pond does not freeze and there is enough food, the duck can remain for the winter on its native land.
Wild species living in tropical regions lead a sedentary life. They are limited only to flying from arid to wetter areas, covering a distance of several hundred kilometers.
What do they usually eat?
Some wild species forage for food in the coastal zone, others in the water column. The diet includes both plant and animal foods:
- seaweed;
- planktonic crustaceans;
- tadpoles;
- fry;
- seeds of coastal cereal vegetation;
- insect larvae;
- shellfish
The duck, whose diet is dominated by plant foods, has horny plates on its beak, with the help of which it filters ingested water. Small fish are simply swallowed. The duck's beak is spade-shaped for easy plucking of plants and algae. Domesticated birds are fed so that their diet is approximately similar to wild birds. The food should be rich in proteins and plant components.
Tamed birds must be given coarse river sand. It is necessary for grinding food entering the stomach.
Approximate list of feeds:
- millet, barley;
- grass, algae, duckweed;
- boiled potatoes;
- fish, snails, slugs;
- sunflower cake;
- meat and bone meal;
- shell rock, chalk;
- feed yeast.
How do ducks reproduce in the wild?
The mating season for wild birds begins at different times, depending on the species and climatic conditions. In migratory species, reproduction begins after returning to their native places. Sedentary species reproduce after the arrival of comfortable weather, when the heat subsides and the amount of green food increases.
Drakes ready to mate acquire bright colors. Each species has its own courtship rituals. Some males fluff out their feathers and crests, others scream, and others dance on the water. A pair is formed for one season. The duck lays eggs for broods in thickets of coastal vegetation. Hatches eggs for 3-4 weeks.
The first days the duck sits in the nest without leaving, after a week it begins to leave it for a short time to feed, but before that it is carefully insulated with down. The drake does not participate in hatching and raising offspring.
A wild duck lays eggs over a long period of time, but they hatch within just a few hours of each other. This is due to the fact that late embryos develop faster than early ones. Pecking lasts 12-14 hours, during which time the duck does not leave the nest. Ducklings are born strong and independent. Once dry, they go with their mother to a pond to feed.
When do they start flying?
wild ducklings They grow quickly and by autumn they become adults, indistinguishable from their parents.The first flight is practiced 55-60 days after birth. The duck stays with the ducklings for about 2 months.
Natural enemies
Many wild ducklings become victims of predators. They are hunted by:
- crows and magpies;
- birds of the hawk family;
- seagulls;
- foxes;
- wild jungle cats;
- otters and martens;
- raccoon dogs;
- large predatory fish;
- snakes.
A duck that has lost its brood lays eggs again in someone else's nest or in its own updated nest. But re-laying is rarely numerous. Chicks may die in the nest if the water level in the reservoir rises sharply. Adults are threatened by parasitic diseases and avian influenza.
Hunting for wild duck
The main object of hunting is the mallard. Hunting is supposed to take place in the summer-autumn season, but each region has its own hunting periods. Preying on drakes is preferred, since females take care of the offspring; their mass killing can negatively affect the population size. You can hunt wild duck:
- from the approach;
- with a decoy;
- with a dog;
- for a passing duck.
The harvested carcass is scalded with boiling water, plucked, and singed. Before scorching, it is advisable to wipe it with flour to remove excess moisture.
When were they domesticated?
The first domestic ducks appeared in Southeast Asia about 3 thousand years ago. Five centuries later, the ancient Greeks and Romans began domesticating wild birds. At first, the birds were kept in mesh fences, but gradually the ducks became fatter, heavier, and lost the ability to fly. Having discovered the North American continent, Europeans discovered the musky duck, which they also domesticated and distributed throughout the world.
In Asia, wild duck was bred for its meat. In Europe, duck products were not popular, so breeding was not widespread.Since the 19th century, Europeans began to use ducks as a living decorative element for parks and homestead ponds. A domesticated duck reproduces on the farm without problems and is not capricious in care and maintenance. The main thing is to have a paddock for walking and at least a small pond.
