{"id":20165,"date":"2022-10-05T09:49:46","date_gmt":"2022-10-05T07:49:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/?p=67333"},"modified":"2022-10-05T14:25:13","modified_gmt":"2022-10-05T12:25:13","slug":"british-duck-guide-identification-species-facts-and-where-to-see","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/british-duck-guide-identification-species-facts-and-where-to-see\/","title":{"rendered":"British duck guide: identification, species, facts and where to see"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Mark Hillsdon\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 05 October 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Ducks are a common sight on our lakes and rivers, making them easy to spot and identify. They are gregarious, too, often turning up in\u00a0huge numbers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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From the monochrome markings of the smew, to the incredible greens of teal, wigeon and mallard and the delicate speckling on a gadwall, ducks are stunningly beautiful. Even the shimmering browns, blues and oranges of escapees from private collections such as mandarins, or occasional visitors such as harlequins, seem to have been applied from the perfect palate.<\/p>\n

Find our more about this beautiful bird family \u2013 including where they live, the best time to see them, which species live in Britain and how to identify them \u2013 with our guide to ducks in the UK.<\/p>\n

Spotted a water bird you\u2019re not sure of? Check out our\u00a0Guide to wading birds: how to identify and where to see<\/a> and our\u00a0Guide to Britain\u2019s geese species: how to identify and where to see<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Mallard ducks are iconic of Britain\u2019s parklands and ponds\/Credit: Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

When is the best time of year to see ducks?<\/h2>\n

You can see some species of duck all year round in the UK. But it is in the winter months, when the resistant species are joined by winter visitors, that you stand the best chances of seeing the most species. The chances are that where there\u2019s water, there are ducks \u2013 just waiting to inspire the next generation of budding naturalists.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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What is the difference between a duck and goose?<\/h2>\n

The best way to tell them apart is size. Geese<\/a>, with their more elongated necks, tend to be much bigger than ducks, although the shelduck comes close to bridging the gap. Ducks also feed on water, with the exception of wigeon, which prefer to join the geese grazing in fields.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Do ducks nest in trees?<\/h2>\n

Several species, including goldeneye and goosander, prefer to nest in tree holes. But ducks are one of the few birds that don\u2019t feed their young, so as soon as the ducklings have hatched, they need to flop out of their hole and go in search of food.<\/p>\n

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Ducklings take the plunge shortly after hatching in search of food\/Credit: Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n
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Do ducks migrate?<\/h2>\n

Some ducks reside here all year, such as the mallard, teal and tufted duck, their numbers swollen by over-wintering visitors that sweep across from the Arctic, eastern Europe and Russia to take advantage of our relatively mild winter conditions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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They\u2019re joined by a clutch of ducks that migrate<\/a> to the UK annually to take advantage of these warmer conditions, using us as a service station where they can feed up before flying back to their summer breeding grounds. These include many of our sea ducks, such as smew and scaup, as well as goosanders and pintails.<\/p>\n

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A Group of smew ducks floating on the water\/Credit: Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

What do ducks eat?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Dabbling ducks \u2013 such as mallards, shovelers and pintails \u2013 filter algae and weed on the surface of the water, occasionally up-ending themselves to nibble aquatic plants.<\/p>\n

Diving ducks, which include all those living at sea, prefer molluscs and fish \u2013 long-tailed ducks have been known to dive to a depth of 70m in search of shellfish. Some freshwater ducks , such as pochards, dive, too, rummaging around in the mud or, in\u00a0the case of the tufted duck, hunting out zebra mussels. Sawbills are divers, as well. Goosanders choose our inland waterways, while smew and red-breasted mergansers live off the coast. They use their serrated beaks to catch fish under water.<\/p>\n

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What species of duck is the most colourful?<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s hard to beat the teal, with its chestnut head and iridescent dark green patch around its eye. Honorary mentions also go to the aloof looking red-breasted merganser and the humble mallard drake, with its glossy, bottle-green head.<\/p>\n

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Teal are one of Britain\u2019s most colourful ducks\/Credit: Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n
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What is the fastest species of duck?<\/h2>\n

Reaching speeds of 60mph (97kmph), the eider is one of the world\u2019s fastest birds in level flight.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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What is the commonest duck species in the UK?<\/h2>\n
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The mallard is our commonest duck, with as many as 100,000 breeding in the UK, and over 650,000 spending the winter here.<\/p>\n

What is the rarest duck species in the UK?<\/h2>\n

In contrast, fewer than 50 pairs of common scoter breed in the UK, although their ranks can be swelled by up to 100,000 in winter, when they float in huge rafts out at sea.<\/p>\n

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