Ducks and Geese

Mallard Ducks

Also known as dabbling ducks which breeds throughout the temperate and sub- tropical areas of North America, Europe, Asia, New Zeland, and Australia. Believed be the ancestors of all domestic ducks, are ducks that are raised for meat, eggs and down. The mallard duck is 56 to 65 centemeters long, has a wingspan of 81 to 98 centemeters, and weighs seven to eight pounds. The male is diferent from the female, because it has a green head, black rear end and a yellow bill tipped with black. The female has a difference with a light brown body, like most female dabbling ducks. However, both the female and male Mallards have distinct purple speculum edged with white. The Mallard inhabits most wetlands, including parks, small ponds and rivers, and usually feeds by dabbling for plant food or grazing. There have been reports of it eating frogs. It usually nests on a river bank, but not always near water. It is highly outside of the breeding season and will form large flocks, which are known as a sord. Mallards form pairs only until the female lays eggs, at which time she is left by the male. The clutch is 8 to 13 eggs, which are incubated for 27 to 28 days to hatching with 50 to 60 days to fledging.

Geese

Goose or geese is the English name for a considerable number of birds, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than geese, and ducks, which are smaller. True geese are medium to large birds, always associated to a greater or lesser extent with water.Most species in Europe, Asia, and North America are strongly migratory as wild birds, breeding in the far north and wintering much farther south. All geese eat a largely vegetarian diet, and can become pests when flocks feed on arable crops or inhabit ponds or grassy areas in urban environments. Not all couples are heterosexual, as both females and males will form long-term same-sex couples with greater or lesser frequency depending on species. Geese usually mate for life, though a small number will "divorce" and remate. They tend to lay a smaller number of eggs than ducks but both parents protect the nest and young, which usually results in a higher survival rate for the young geese.