Ducks

9 amazing duck facts that will blow your human mind

9 amazing duck facts that will blow your human mind thumbnail
Tyrant Farms is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

These amazing duck facts will help you realize that ducks are smart, highly sociable creatures capable of mind-boggling feats of athleticism. And in the case of domesticated ducks, they also produce tasty eggs coveted by gourmet chefs and poultry enthusiasts alike. 


Years ago when we decided to get backyard ducks to produce our own eggs, we had no idea how profoundly that decision would change our perception of these animals’ intelligence and emotional capacity. After all, being told you have a “bird brain” isn’t intended to be a compliment!

Since then, our flock of Welsh Harlequin ducks has been an ongoing source of entertainment and education. Admittedly, they can occasionally be a source of extreme irritation when they break into one of our strawberry patches or garden green beds to feast.

You have no proof that I ate your strawberries. Duck eats strawberries.

“You have no proof that I ate your strawberries.” Pippa the Welsh Harlequin duck looking a bit guilty (but not apologetic) after breaking into one of our berry patches.

Nine amazing duck facts 

Even if you don’t raise ducks, we hope these nine duck facts will help you better appreciate these amazing creatures! 

1. Ducks can close one eye and put half their brain to sleep while keeping watch with the other half.

Alligators, ospreys, bald eagles… there are a lot of critters out there that would like to make a meal out of a duck.

One way ducks have adapted to get some good shut-eye while still keeping a look out for potential danger is to close one eye in order to put half their brain to sleep while keeping the other eye open and the other half of their brain awake and alert.

Duck facts: ducks can close one eye and put half their brain to sleep.

Hmm, which side of my brain needs a nap?

When a flock of ducks are together, that means every duck can take half-brain naps and keep one eye open looking for trouble. Interestingly, the researchers from Indiana State University who initially discovered this phenomenon, noted that half-napping ducks positioned on the outside of a group would keep their outside eye open and the eye facing towards the group of ducks closed. Meanwhile, ducks in the center of the flock would go fully to sleep, closing both eyes. Synchronized sleeping!

Yes, our ducks do the one-eye nap trick too, even though their greatest “threat” is whether we’re going to bring them tomatoes or lettuce for a treat.

2. Ducks are causing scientists to rethink abstract intelligence.

Are ducks smart?

Abstract intelligence is defined as “the capacity to understand and manage abstract ideas and symbols.” In humans, abstract intelligence is essential for such things as creative problem solving, humor, and novel ideas and inventions.

Conventional scientific wisdom has held that abstract thinking was only possible in a handful of super-intelligent animals such as apes, crows, and dolphins. It was also thought that abstract intelligence required experiential learning and possibly teaching/instructing from an adult in combination with punishments/rewards.

Then along came a 2016 study where scientists performed a range of intelligence tests on ducklings…

Researchers found that as soon as ducklings hatch, they have a remarkable degree of abstract intelligence. The study’s co-author, Alex Kacelnik, of Oxford University’s zoology department, said: “To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a non-human organism learning to discriminate between abstract relational concepts without any reinforcement training.”

Duck fact: In addition to possessing surprisingly high levels of abstract intelligence, ducklings might be the cutest creatures on the planet.

In addition to possessing surprisingly high levels of abstract intelligence, ducklings might be the cutest creatures on the planet.

Next time somebody calls you a “bird brain,” just respond with a thank you quack.

3. Ducks can produce more eggs than chickens (and their eggs taste better and are more nutritious).

If you know a really good chef or baker, ask them whether they prefer duck or chicken eggs. We’ll bet you they’ll say “duck eggs” 9 out of 10 times.

Why? Ducks eggs aren’t just larger than chicken eggs, they also taste better and creamier, primarily due to their larger yolk-to-white ratio and higher nutrient density. Chicken eggs also tend to have a more sulfury flavor than duck eggs. (Take a deeper dive into duck eggs vs chicken eggs.)

Duck egg facts: duck eggs are bigger and more nutritious than chicken eggs. One of our duck eggs (left) versus an organic free-range chicken egg (right). The average duck egg weighs at least 2.5 ounces, the equivalent of a jumbo chicken egg. Duck facts, by Tyrant Farms

One of our duck eggs (left) versus an organic free-range chicken egg (right). The average duck egg weighs at least 2.5 ounces, the equivalent of a jumbo chicken egg.

And as we’ve written about in backyard ducks vs chickens, some duck breeds can lay more eggs per year than the highest performing chicken breed (52 lbs of eggs versus 34 lbs). Of course, we advise all poultry caretakers to balance their animals’ wellbeing against the needs for egg production.

It takes a lot of energy to produce an egg, so if you push your girls too hard for high egg production, you’ll have a greater likelihood of health problems. Animal health and happiness first, egg production second is the philosophy we recommend for our fellow poultry enthusiasts!

4. Ducks have one of the longest penises in the animal kingdom. 

Yes, we’ll keep this section “safe for work.”

In 97% of bird species, males don’t have penises. That’s not the case with ducks, however. In fact, drakes (male ducks) have extraordinarily long corkscrew-shaped penises.

Although the average length of a duck penis is about 8″, one species of ducks, the Argentine Lack Duck (Oxyura vittata), has a 17″ long penis, one of the longest in the animal kingdom.

Duck fact: male ducks have one of the largest penises in the animal kingdom.

Sir Winston Duckbill (in the back with orange legs), is our only drake. He’s a lucky man.

If you want to learn more about duck reproductive organs and their odd mating behaviors, read Understanding duck mating and courtship.

5. Ducks perform insane aerial feats.

Like a duck out of water? Sure, ducks might not be great at walking on land, but they’re remarkably good flyers, especially when migrating.

Their average flight speed is 50 mph (for reference, Usain Bolt can barely top 23 mph), and some ducks can achieve much greater speeds. A red-breasted merganser was recorded flying at 100 mph, which is about 40 mph faster than a cheetah, the world’s fastest land animal.

Ducks facts: ducks perform remarkably feats of athleticism while flying.

Our Welsh Harlequin ducks are flightless, but that doesn’t mean they can’t dream big about taking to the skies. 

Ducks are also capable of traveling enormous, non-stop distances at crazy altitudes. With a good tailwind, Mallards can travel a distance of 800 miles in an 8 hour flight (that’s a distance longer than the entire state of California). Yes, that sort of travel consumes quite a bit of energy, which is why they’ll rest and feed for up to a week between flights.

How high can a duck fly? Usually, they stay in an altitude range between 200-4,000 feet, but the record is 21,000 feet. Unfortunately, the current record holder was struck by a jet plane!

6. Ducks can live longer than dogs.

Desi the Duck, a female Mallard duck who lived in the United Kingdom, was 20 years old when she died, making her the world’s oldest duck ever.

Duck facts: Can ducks outlive cats and dogs? Yes, sometimes.

Outliving a cat might be a bigger challenge… Jackson the duck (right) is determined to outlive our cat (left). Both are about a decade old in this picture.

A duck’s average lifespan in the wild is between 5-10 years, but a domesticated house or backyard duck who is well taken care of can easily live into their teens. Female ducks can continue to produce eggs for up to 10 years as well, although their egg production will significantly taper off by that age.

(Take a deeper dive into ducks’ lifespan and how to have the longest-lived domesticated ducks possible.

7. Ducks can see 360 degrees around them, 3x better than humans, and in 4-D color.

Ducks’ eyes are nothing short of amazing…

Their visual field is 2x larger than humans and they can see distant objects 2.5-3x more clearly than us. Oh, they also have three eyelids and 4-dimensional color vision. 

Curious to learn more about how ducks see the world? Make sure to read 9 amazing duck eyesight facts once you’re done with this article! 

8. Ducks’ feet are virtually impossible to freeze.

Have you ever wondered why ducks (or other waterfowl) sometimes stand on one foot? It’s the same answer to the question: “How do ducks keep their feet from freezing or making the rest of their bodies too cold?”

After all, you (human) couldn’t stand outside barefoot on a freezing day, even if you had on a heavy jacket.

Answer: “rete mirabile” a biology term that means “wonderful net” in Latin. Ducks have a specialized arterial network in their legs that:

  • utilizes the warm blood flowing from their heart to heat the cold blood circulating back up from their legs (the returning blood has already been warmed by the time it reaches their heart), and
  • allows their feet to stay much colder than their core body temperature without cooling the rest of their body/blood.

Also, by standing on one leg while they rest, ducks cut heat loss through their legs by ~50%, which means less energy expenditure. Every calorie an animal expends is a calorie it has to consume, so these adaptations and behaviors are seriously advantageous in the wild. 

9. Ducks in flight are like a feathered bagpipe because of their amazing respiratory systems.

Ever wonder how a duck can go from sea level to the altitude of Mount Kilimanjaro in a short period of time without a problem (this would cause hypoxia in humans)? Or quack in mid-flight? Or fly 800 miles in a day? Or fly at all?

The key ingredient that makes this magic possible is their extraordinarily complex respiratory system, which works completely differently than mammal or insect respiration. Check out this brilliant visualization from TableTopWhale to see it in action:

Bird respiratory system compared to humans and insects. Visualization via TableTopWhale.

Bird respiratory system compared to humans and insects. Visualization via TableTopWhale.

A bird’s lungs are only about half the size of a mammal’s lungs, proportionally. They also don’t change in size, or inflate and deflate, like our lungs do while breathing. Air is drawn through their lungs uni-directionally via a series of air sacs, some of which extend into their bones.

Human lungs are inflated and deflated by our diaphragm. However, birds don’t have diaphragms. Instead, their air sacs are ultimately controlled by their muscles – that means the more they move, the more air comes into their air sacs. When they are taking off for flight or flying, they’re essentially filling themselves up like a balloon. This allows for greater oxygen-carbon dioxide exchange, but it also makes them much lighter relative to their body size than they are when they’re not flying. Pretty cool!

A recent road trip with Svetlana the Duck (she prefers to travel in triangle formation). -Duck facts, by Tyrant Farms

A holiday road trip with Svetlana the Duck (she prefers to travel in triangle formation).

Ducks in flight are like feathered bagpipes – their specialized air sacs and vocal organs allow them to quack whether they’re inhaling or exhaling. (Try inhaling and singing at the same time to see how amazing this is.)

If you want to geek out on duck/bird respiration, here’s an interesting article from University of Illinois.

We hope these amazing duck facts will help you better appreciate ducks and other wildlife around you! It’s an amazing world out there.

KIGI,

Want to watch a quick summary of this article? Check out our Google Web Story about amazing duck facts!

Fly on over to these other duck articles: 

and more duck articles from Tyrant Farms.

stay in touch

Like what you're seeing here? Please be sure to subscribe to Tyrant Farms so we can let you know about new articles you'll love.

12 Comments

  • Reply
    Lavonda
    February 14, 2024 at 9:03 pm

    I learned so many wonderful and fascinating things about ducks through this article. Thank you so much for sharing all this very interesting ìnfo about them and even additional articles to go to. Great stuff for sure!

    • Reply
      Aaron von Frank
      February 15, 2024 at 9:34 am

      Glad you found the duck facts in this article interesting, Lavonda! Since we also raise ducks, we have a front row seat to all their interesting features and behaviors.

  • Reply
    sam
    September 14, 2023 at 12:27 am

    i love ducks .They are the best

  • Reply
    Nancy Ferrillo
    April 16, 2022 at 1:46 pm

    Interesting ! Staying w family in Texas and we had a duck sitting on nest in protected , courtyard pool area planter box . 13 ducklings showed themselves Monday. Very exciting. They exited through the open gate, hopped down the stone steps, waddled onto a little bridge and followed Mom, making the 6’ drop into a small creek ! On night 2 I heard chaos and panic squawking outside in middle of night and haven’t seen ducklings since. I’m very sad – mostly for the mom. Is she feeling sadness and loss ?

    • Reply
      Aaron von Frank
      April 18, 2022 at 11:07 am

      Hi Nancy. Ugh, sad. It’s impossible to say for certain what a duck feels in such situations, but given the bonding that takes place between momma duck and ducklings, she’s likely experiencing a similar physiological response to loss that a human parent would feel under similar circumstance (sadness and loss), albeit via very different brain circuitry/capacities.

      Ducks — and especially ducklings — have LOTS of predators. Urban settings are especially dense in predator populations like raccoons, possums, skunks, cats, dogs, etc making it difficult for duckling to have high survival rates there.

  • Reply
    Levi
    April 25, 2021 at 4:03 am

    Thank you for your time educating about ducks. I’m a North Carolinian with 8 ducks! I really enjoy having them around, and find them friendly. Lol, honestly, I never thought I would have a pet duck, but have become attached to them.
    I’m in the process of learning more about my feathered friends, and this helped.

    • Reply
      Aaron von Frank
      April 25, 2021 at 9:57 am

      Ha! Pet ducks were not on our radar either, but now it’s hard to imagine life without them. Glad our duck facts article helped you learn more about them. 🙂

  • Reply
    Teidra
    January 30, 2021 at 9:56 am

    Are ducks related to humans?

    • Reply
      Aaron von Frank
      January 30, 2021 at 1:07 pm

      Every single living organism on earth is related if you go all the way back to LUCA, our last universal common ancestor ~3.5 billion years ago. Mammals and birds diverged about ~300+ million years ago. So you might say ducks are your very, very distant cousin. 😛

  • Reply
    Douglas R
    December 19, 2017 at 10:18 pm

    Is Svetlana house trained? I keep seeing pictures of her indoors without a diaper. Do you still have any drakes?

    • Reply
      Aaron von Frank
      December 20, 2017 at 1:41 pm

      Svetlana spends nights indoors, but she is always wearing a diaper inside for obvious reasons. 🙂 It might be hard to see her diapers in certain pictures though.

Leave a Reply

Native Passion Fruit (Passiflora Incarnata): How To Grow, Forage, & Eat How to hatch goose eggs – tips, tricks, and troubleshooting How to hatch duck eggs via a mama duck or incubator Best EDIBLE plants to grow in shade (fruit, herbs & veggies) Understanding duck mating & courtship 9 amazing duck facts that will blow your human mind