How do wild ducks survive the winter?

Mallard duck is a kind of waterfowl, its number is very large, is a variety of wild duck popular name, there are more than ten species. So how do wild ducks survive the winter?

How do ducks survive winter?

Wild ducks are migratory birds. Under natural conditions, they migrate southward to winter in autumn. In China, they often winter in provinces along the Yangtze River Basin or in areas further south. In late spring, they travel through North China to Northeast China and reach Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and other places.

II. Living habits of wild ducks

1. Nestling group activity and herbivores. In summer, they inhabit freshwater rivers, lakes and swamps where aquatic plants flourish in small groups. In autumn, they shed their feathers and often gather into large groups of hundreds or even thousands during migration.

2. The wet molting begins in breeding period and ends at the end of August. Males moult 15-20 days earlier than females, and moult almost simultaneously in winter.

3. The food habit is wide and miscellaneous, often with small fish, shrimp, crustaceans, insects, and plant seeds, stems, stems, algae and grains for food.

4. The song is loud and very similar to that of a domestic duck. In the south, the common mallard duck and duck natural hybrid offspring as a "vector duck", trapping ducks flying flock. The male duck sounds like "Ga" and the female duck sounds like "Ga".

5. Molts twice a year. Full moulting in summer and autumn and partial moulting in autumn and winter. Moistening moult begins during breeding and ends at the end of August. Males moult 15~20 days earlier than females, and moult almost simultaneously in winter. After autumn, partial molting takes about 2 months. Molting order is chest, abdomen, flank, tail feathers first, head and neck followed by back feathers.

6. Wild mallard has strong wings and strong flight ability. After 70 days of age, the wings grow up and the feathers grow together. They can fly not only from the land, but also directly from the water surface. In artificial intensive breeding, attention should be paid to prevent escape, and nets should be set up for houses, land fields and water sports fields used by large-aged green-headed ducks.

Mallard artificially bred for more than three generations can be eaten, but there are also many wild ducks that are national first-class protected animals and cannot be captured and eaten.