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:''For duck as a food, see ]; for other meanings, see ]''.
I see the one, because she be that lady! Hey!
I feel you creeping on, I can see from my shadow
Wanna jump up in my Lamborghini Gallardo
Maybe go to my place and just kick it like tabo
and posibbly bend you over look back and watch me


{{TOCleft}}
{{Taxobox
| color = pink
| name = Ducks
| image = Ducks in plymouth, massachusetts.jpg
| image_width = 250px
| image_caption = A female and male ]
| regnum = ]ia
| phylum = ]
| classis = ]
| ordo = ]
| familia = ]
| subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies
| subdivision =
]<br/>
]<br/>
]<br/>
]
}}
'''Duck''' is the common name for a number of species in the ] family of ]s. The ducks are divided between several subfamilies listed in full in the ] article. Ducks are mostly aquatic birds, mostly smaller than their relatives the ]s and ], and may be found in both ] and ].


Most ducks have a wide flat ] adapted for ]. They exploit a variety of food sources such as ]es, ]s, ], ]s, small ]s, ]s, and small ]s. ]s and ]s forage deep underwater; ]s feed on the surface of water or on land. ]s have in their beaks special plates called ]<ref>
Smack that all on the floor
{{cite web
Smack that give me some more
| last = Ogden
Smack that 'till you get sore
| first = Evans
Smack that oh-oooh!
| title = Dabbling Ducks
| publisher = CWE
| url = http://www.sfu.ca/biology/wildberg/species/dabbducks.html
| accessdate = 2006-11-02 }}
</ref> similar to a whale's ]. These tiny rows of plates along the inside of the beak let them filter water out of the side of their beaks and keep food inside. To be able to submerge more easily, the diving ducks are heavier than dabbling ducks, and therefore have more difficulty taking off to fly. A few specialized species such as the ], ], and the ]s are adapted to catch large fish.


The males (drakes) of northern species often have extravagant ], but that is ]ed in summer to give a more female-like appearance, the "eclipse" plumage. Southern resident species typically show less ]. Many species of ducks are temporarily flightless while ]ing; they seek out protected habitat with good food supplies during this period. This moult typically precedes ].
Upfront style ready to attack now
pull in the parking lot slow with the lac down
Konvicts got the whole thing packed now
Step in the club now and wardobe intact now!
I feel it down and cracked now (ooh)
I see it dull and backed now
I'm gonna call her, than I pull the mack down
Money no problem, pocket full of that now!


Some duck species, mainly those breeding in the temperate and arctic ], are migratory, but others, particularly in the tropics, are not. Some ducks, particularly in ] where rainfall is patchy and erratic, are nomadic, seeking out the temporary lakes and pools that form after localised heavy rain.
I feel you creeping on, I can see from my shadow
Wanna jump up in my Lamborghini Gallardo
Maybe go to my place and just kick it like tabo
and posibbly bend you over look back and watch me


Some people use "duck" specifically for adult females and "drake" for adult males, for the species described here; others use "hen" and "drake", respectively.


Ducks are sometimes confused with several types of unrelated ] with similar forms, such as ]s or divers, ]s, ]s, and ]s.


==Predators==
Ooh...Looks like another club banger
A worldwide group like the ducks has many predators. Ducklings are particularly vulnerable, since their inability to fly makes them easy prey not only for avian hunters but also large fish like ], ]ns and other aquatic hunters, including fish-eating birds such as ]s. Nests may also be raided by land-based predators, and brooding females may sometimes be caught unaware on the nest by ]s (e.g. ]es) and large birds, including ]s and ]s).
They better hang on when they throw this thing on
Get a lil drink on
They gonna flip for this Akon shit
You can bank on it!
Pedicure medicure kitty-cat claws
The way she climbs up and down them poles
Looking like one of them putty-cat dolls
Trying to hold my woodie back thru my chores
Steps upstage and think I saw
Creeps up behind me, shes like "yoo"
I'm like ya I know lets cut to the chase
No time to waste back to my place
Starts from the club to the crib it's like a mile away
I'm more like a pal of shall I say
Plus I got pal of gal? his game
In fact he is the one singing the song that's playing
"Akon!"


Adult ducks are fast fliers, but may be caught on the water by large aquatic predators. This can occasionally include fish such as the ] in North America or the pike in ]. In flight, ducks are safe from all but a few ]s, although the ] regularly uses its speed and strength to catch ducks.


==Etymology==
I feel you creeping on, I can see from my shadow
The word '''duck''' (from ] ''dūce''), meaning the bird, came from the verb "to duck" (from Anglo-Saxon supposed *''dūcan'') meaning "to bend down low as if to get under something", because of the way many species in the ] group feed by upending (compare the ] word ''duiken'' = "to dive").
Wanna jump up in my Lamborghini Gallardo
Maybe go to my place and just kick it like tabo
and posibbly bend you over look back and watch me


This happened because the older ] 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"; also among ] compare ] ''anas'' (] ''anat-'') = "duck", ] ''anta'' (masc.) = "end", ]n ''antis'' = "duck".


==Hunting and Domestication==
Eminem is rollin', d and em rollin' bo
In many areas, wild ducks of various species (including ducks farmed and released into the wild) are hunted for food or sport, by ], or formerly by ]s. From this came the expression "a sitting duck", which means "an easy target".
And all marvelous them rolling
Women just holding big booty rollin'
Soon I'll be on Eminem throwin "D!"
Hittin on less than "Three!"
Block wheel style like "Whee!"
Girl I can tell you want me because lately


Ducks have many economic uses, being ]ed for their ], ]s, ]s and ]. They are also kept and bred by aviculturists and often displayed in zoos. All ] are descended from the wild ] ''Anas platyrhynchos'', except Muscovy Ducks<ref>
I feel you creeping on, I can see from my shadow
{{cite web
Wanna jump up in my Lamborghini Gallardo
| last =
Maybe go to my place and just kick it like tabo
| title = Mallard - Nature Notes
and posibbly bend you over look back and watch me
| publisher = Ducks Unlimited Canada
| url = http://www.ducks.ca/resource/general/naturenotes/mallard.html
| accessdate = 2006-11-02 }}
</ref>. Many domestic 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 ] ], ''Rana temporaria'', whole.

] is often made using the ] of domestic ducks, rather than of ].

In a wildlife pond, the bottom over most of the area should be too deep for dabbling wild ducks to reach the bottom, to protect bottom-living life from being constantly disturbed and eaten by wild ducks dredging, and ]s should not be allowed in.{{fact}}

Despite widespread misconceptions, most ducks other than female ]s and ]s do not "quack". A common false ] asserts that quacks do not echo.<ref>
{{cite web
| last = Amos
| first = Jonathan
| title = Sound science is quackers
| publisher = BBC News
| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3086890.stm
| accessdate = 2006-11-02 }}
</ref>

==Humor==
In ], ] ] and ]s at the ] (]) finished a year-long ] ], concluding that, of the animals in the world, the duck is the type that attracts most ] and silliness; he said "If you're going to tell a ] involving an animal, make it a duck." The word "duck" may have become an ] in many ] because ducks are seen as a silly animal, and their odd appearance compared to other birds. Of the many ], many are silly ] characters (see the '']'' article mentioning humor in the word "duck").

=="Quacks like a duck"==
The expression "quacks like a duck" is sometimes a short form for "It looks like a duck, it quacks like a duck, it swims like a duck, so it's a duck.", used as ]ial to counter abstruse arguments that something is not what it appears to be.

==Trivia==
*Some ancient Egyptian art depicts some ships of the ] with ornamental ]s shaped like a duck's head.<ref>
{{cite web
| last = Cornelius
| first =
| title = The Battle of the Nile
| publisher = The South African Military History Society
| url = http://rapidttp.com/milhist/vol074ic.html
| accessdate = 2006-11-02 }}
</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Comb duck.jpg|African ]
Image:duck-on-ground.jpg|] drake
Image:ruddy.shelduck.arp.2.750pix.jpg|] - not a true duck but a member of the ]
Image:Wood_duck_eclipse.jpg|Male ] in eclipse plumage
Image:Female Mallard.jpg|Female Mallard
Image:Mother duck with chicks.jpg|Female Mallard with ducklings
Image:Muscovy-duck-1.jpg|Male ]
Image:Mandarin.duck.arp.jpg|Mandarin Duck at Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre, Gloucestershire, England.
Image:Keralabackducks (75).JPG|Ducks in a pond
Image:Aa_ducks_and_geese_003.jpg|Ducks and geese in a yard in ], UK
Image:Indian Runner Duck.jpg|]
Image:Ringed teal.gif|]

</gallery>

==See also==
{{wiktionarypar|duck}}
*]
*]
*]
*] — ducks kept as pets or show animals and for meat and eggs and down
*]
*]

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
{{Commons|Duck}}
{{cookbook}}
* (from ])
*
* on the Internet Bird Collection
*
*
*
*
* (good for foreign names)
* (useful looking abstracts)
*
* (]s' impact on ]s by ] in the wild)
*{{gutenberg|no=18884|name=Ducks at a Distance, by Rob Hines}} - A modern illustrated guide to identification of US waterfowl.
*

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Revision as of 19:45, 18 January 2007

For duck as a food, see Duck (food); for other meanings, see Duck (disambiguation).

Ducks
A female and male Mallard
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
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 water and sea water.

Most ducks have a wide flat beak adapted for dredging. They exploit a variety of food sources such as grasses, aquatic plants, fish, insects, small amphibians, worms, and small molluscs. Diving ducks and sea ducks forage deep underwater; Dabbling ducks feed on the surface of water or on land. Dabbling ducks have in their beaks special plates called lamellae similar to a whale's baleen. These tiny rows of plates along the inside of the beak let them filter water out of the side of their beaks and keep food inside. To be able to submerge more easily, the diving ducks are heavier than dabbling ducks, and therefore have more difficulty taking off to fly. A few specialized species such as the Smew, Goosander, and the mergansers are adapted to catch large fish.

The males (drakes) of northern species often have extravagant plumage, but that is moulted in summer to give a more female-like appearance, the "eclipse" plumage. Southern resident species typically show less sexual dimorphism. Many species of ducks are temporarily flightless while moulting; 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, particularly in the tropics, are not. Some ducks, particularly in Australia where rainfall is patchy and erratic, are nomadic, seeking out the temporary lakes and pools that form after localised heavy rain.

Some people use "duck" specifically for adult females and "drake" for adult males, for the species described here; others use "hen" and "drake", respectively.

Ducks are sometimes confused with several types of unrelated water birds with similar forms, such as loons or divers, grebes, gallinules, and coots.

Predators

A worldwide group like the ducks has many predators. Ducklings are particularly vulnerable, since their inability to fly makes them easy prey not only for avian hunters but also large fish like pike, crocodilians and other aquatic hunters, including fish-eating birds such as herons. Nests may also be raided by land-based predators, and brooding females may sometimes be caught unaware on the nest by mammals (e.g. foxes) and large birds, including hawks and eagles).

Adult ducks are fast fliers, but may be caught on the water by large aquatic predators. This can occasionally include fish such as the muskie in North America or the pike in Europe. In flight, ducks are safe from all but a few predators, although the Peregrine Falcon regularly uses its speed and strength to catch ducks.

Etymology

The word duck (from Anglo-Saxon dūce), meaning the bird, came from the verb "to duck" (from Anglo-Saxon supposed *dūcan) meaning "to bend down low 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"; also among Indo-European languages compare Latin anas (stem anat-) = "duck", Sanskrit anta (masc.) = "end", Lithuanian antis = "duck".

Hunting and Domestication

In many areas, wild ducks of various species (including ducks farmed and released into the wild) are hunted for food or sport, by shooting, or formerly by decoys. From this came the expression "a sitting duck", which means "an easy target".

Ducks have many economic uses, being farmed for their meat, eggs, feathers and down feathers. They are also kept and bred by aviculturists and often displayed in zoos. All domestic ducks are descended from the wild Mallard Anas platyrhynchos, except Muscovy Ducks. Many domestic 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.

Foie gras is often made using the liver of domestic ducks, rather than of geese.

In a wildlife pond, the bottom over most of the area should be too deep for dabbling wild ducks to reach the bottom, to protect bottom-living life from being constantly disturbed and eaten by wild ducks dredging, and domestic ducks should not be allowed in.

Despite widespread misconceptions, most ducks other than female Mallards and domestic ducks do not "quack". A common false urban legend asserts that quacks do not echo.

Humor

In 2002, psychologist Richard Wiseman and colleagues at the University of Hertfordshire (UK) finished a year-long LaughLab experiment, concluding that, of the animals in the world, the duck is the type that attracts most humor and silliness; he said "If you're going to tell a joke involving an animal, make it a duck." The word "duck" may have become an inherently funny word in many languages because ducks are seen as a silly animal, and their odd appearance compared to other birds. Of the many ducks in fiction, many are silly cartoon characters (see the New Scientist article mentioning humor in the word "duck").

"Quacks like a duck"

The expression "quacks like a duck" is sometimes a short form for "It looks like a duck, it quacks like a duck, it swims like a duck, so it's a duck.", used as proverbial to counter abstruse arguments that something is not what it appears to be.

Trivia

  • Some ancient Egyptian art depicts some ships of the Sea Peoples with ornamental prows shaped like a duck's head.

Gallery

See also

References

  1. Ogden, Evans. "Dabbling Ducks". CWE. Retrieved 2006-11-02.
  2. "Mallard - Nature Notes". Ducks Unlimited Canada. Retrieved 2006-11-02.
  3. Amos, Jonathan. "Sound science is quackers". BBC News. Retrieved 2006-11-02.
  4. Cornelius. "The Battle of the Nile". The South African Military History Society. Retrieved 2006-11-02.

External links

Categories: