You can tell the sex of a duck by a few of its physical traits.
Made for the water, ducks have a streamlined feathered body and webbed feet that allow them to swim through water with ease. All domestic ducks are descended from mallards except for Muscovy ducks. There are a few ways to tell if one is a female or male. By keeping track of physical traits and listening for vocal sounds you can figure out the sex in no time.
Instructions
1. Listen to the duck's voice about 10 weeks after birth. Females, which are called hens, have loud quacks, while males have more of a soft and whispery sound.
2. Look for a curled feather on the top of the tail after the duck is few months old. Males develop this unique feature which is called a drake feather.
3. Keep track of size as the duck gets older. If it is a Muscovy, it should get almost twice the size of a female by the time it becomes 3 months old. The male's feet can be larger as well.
4. Look for a green head, a grayish brown body and blue feathers on the back of a male mallard. The feathers change colors close to summer's end due to an eclipse molt, where the colors of their feathers resemble more of a female and get lighter. The colors will change back again later in the year. Females are spotted brown with a white tail and blue feathers.
5. Watch for behavioral traits during the nesting time. Males will guard the eggs and chase others away, while females lay on the eggs to keep them warm.
Related posts
There are many species of ducks.The duck is a water bird probably familiar to most young children. Zoos and parks often prominently feature ponds or lakes of swimming ducks which readily eat bread...
It's difficult in some cases, but there are ways to identify the sex of a cockatoo.Cockatoos are beautiful birds, but determining the sex of some species can be a challenging task. The color of be...
Ducks that are bagged in the wild need to be defeathered correctly.After a successful duck-hunting trip, you will need to clean your game either in the field or as soon as possible afterward by re...
It can be difficult to determine the sex of an adolescent bird.It is vital to determine the sex of chickens early in order to separate them for their appropriate uses. Hens of egg-laying breeds ar...
Male cockatiels have bright plumage.Identifying male and female cockatiels is tough sometimes because the parrots will not begin to show their sex until they are between 6 and 9 months old. After...
