There are more than 150 different kinds of wild duck, which can be found in every region of the planet, with the exception of Antarctica. They can grow up to around 24 inches in length and can vary in their colour, either bright green, purple and bronze, mixing with grey, white and brown. The male of the species is referred to as a drake, with the female commonly known as a hen, and their young collectively called ducklings. The bird's soft textured feathers are extremely thick, and are made water-resistant by a film of oil which is released from a small gland above the tail, meaning that they do not get wet, or cold.
One of the most widely known facts about ducks is that their feet are webbed, with three of their four toes extending forward and the final one projecting backwards. Their swimming is very elegant, and their diving is silkily smooth, with certain members of the duck family able to stay submerged for great lengths of time, in pursuit of fish. They also make fantastic birds of flight, able to reach speeds approaching 50 miles per hour, and will fly huge distances. However, when they are on land they do have a distinctly awkward waddle, which is quite comical to look at.
The feeding habits differ from species to species, which is amongst the more relevant snippets of information about ducks that the caring human population could familiarize themselves with. This is because very often we throw bread their way, as an act of kindness, when actually it is not the best choice, as it does not provide the nutrition that they rely upon to remain relatively healthy. Their ideal diet consists of things such as: small fish, worms, grass roots, water plants, wild rice, wheat grain, oats, small nuts, berries, all varieties of seed, plus certain greens like leaf spinach and split peas. Some of the larger ducks will eat salamanders, frogs and even toads.
Common amongst all kinds of animals and birds is the moulting process, and this is one of the key issues about ducks, as they actually shed all their flight feathers at the same time. This has a real significance to them, as they are unable to fly for several weeks until a completely fresh set of feathers appears. The drake will shed its plumage soon after breeding, whilst the hens are a little later, after nesting. This naturally leaves them open to danger, as it reduces one means of escape. During this time there will be quite a commotion, with a constant deep quacking noise in the air, as the ducks operate a warning system.
What is quite unusual with the wild ducks is that unlike the more domestic duck, they choose and remain with just one mate for an entire season. A nest would be built from reeds, grasses, leaves or mosses, and will be lined with the female's down. Between 8 and 15 eggs would typically be laid, and these take approximately 28 days to hatch. Only the mother cares for the ducklings, the drake plays no part.