Duck

Duck facts

Family: Anatidae

Diet: Seeds, acorns, berries, plants, insects, and shellfish

Predators: Foxes, rats, mink, stoats, and weasels

Size: Length 51-62cm, wingspan 81-98cm

Weight: 750-1,500g

Lifespan: Five to 10 years

What types of ducks will you see on our canals?

‘Duck’ is the name given to the family of waterway birds that includes mallards. Along our canals and rivers, you might spot any number of other species.

Mallards

Mallards are without a doubt the most abundant duck in the world – and a common, pleasing sight on our canals and rivers. Drakes are distinctive with green heads and long, broad yellow bills. Female mallards are the same shape but with mainly brown feathers and an orange-brown bill.

Tufted

A common, medium-sized black diving duck with white sides, a feathered crest on its head and yellow eyes. Tufted ducks are diving ducks known for vanishing beneath the surface to catch small fish and water snails.

Goldeneye

One of the rarest diving ducks on our network. Males are black and white with a green head and a golden eye, which is visible at a surprisingly long range. Females are muted browns and greys.

Mandarin

Native to China, this duck is now common on our network thanks to escapes from private waterfowl collections. The male has orange feathers on the side of its face and bright orange ‘sails’ on its back.

Pochard

Normally, these plump birds have a bright reddish-brown head, a black breast and tail and a pale grey body. Females are similar, but slightly plainer. In summer, they turn mainly brown. Pochards are a winter visitor from eastern Europe.

Teal

Britain’s smallest dabbling duck has a chestnut-coloured head with broad green eye-patches and a spotted chest. Teal ducks can take off vertically to avoid predators.

Wigeon

Among the smartest waterfowl, this duck visits the UK from Iceland and Russia in winter with a carrying wolf-whistle call. Its head and neck are brown, with a yellow forehead, pink breast and grey body. The females are reddish brown in colour.

What do ducks eat?

Ducks have an uncanny ability to adapt to almost any diet. Fish, plants, berries, insects, shellfish, and even potatoes are all fair game for this bird.

Where do ducks live?

Ducks can make their home in any wetland habitat, including drainage dykes or fast-flowing rivers.

The mallard has been domesticated for more than 2,000 years and is now so widespread in the UK that you will be hard pressed to find a river or village pond that does not support a mallard population.

How do ducks breed?

Unlike most other bird species, male ducks house their sex organs inside out within the body and are uniquely shaped like a corkscrew. Female ducks similarly have long, twisting sex organs.

Mating season can turn quite aggressive for ducks. It’s not unusual to see several drakes chasing a female mallard along the canal. However, nature has afforded females some protection with internal dead-end ‘side pockets’ that prevent fertilisation.

Mallards and other species might also mate with different duck species.

When to spot ducks?

You can see ducks on our canals and rivers at any point in the year. However, the best time to spot some of our rarer species is in the winter months, when they migrate from Europe.

In the midsummer months that follow the breeding season, you may find yourself wondering where all of the colourful 'drakes' (male mallards) have gone. A quirk peculiar to ducks means that they moult all of their flight feathers at the same time, leaving them grounded and exceedingly vulnerable to predators.

Evolution has guaranteed some protection by ensuring the drake's bright feathers are replaced by dowdier brown ones, which give them a distinctly female appearance.

Ducks and our canals

While our canals aren’t the only place to see ducks, they’re one of the best. Stretching across the country, into cities and more rural areas, you won’t have to go far to feed a common mallard or spot a rarer goldeneye duck.

Other species to look out for