5 Reasons That Prove How Smart Are Ducks
Do you think you have got a bunch of smart ducks? Yes, you’ve heard it right. Ducks are excellent and have an astonishing ability to execute their skill, which sets them apart from their counterparts.
They can listen to you and will surely follow your commands once they get used to you. Pet ducks that are raised in a home setup usually understand basic human calls. In addition, the ducks have exceptional flying qualities, and you just can’t imagine how well they manage to control themselves while flying.
In fact, they’re social and scientifically proven intelligent as well. We will talk about studies on ducks’ coolness in this article. So, keep on reading!
Table of Contents
5 Reasons Why I Call Them Smart!
Because they’ve all the skills and qualities that set them apart, if you’re knowledgeable and know a lot of things but can’t blend everything well when it is required, you aren’t smart.
There are a few surprising facts about ducks. They’re very well flyer, can interact with humans, and even in some tests, they’re proven as an intelligent animal in some comparison scale. They’re well aware of their flying abilities, and they utilize them in a pretty decent way.
Let’s start the elaborated discussion without any further delay.
1. Surprisingly Social And Trusting
Ducks are nice, social, and cooperative. They’ll follow you around and even take a nap on your lap. They’re cutest while they take a nap in their parent’s lap. A duck raiser in Iceland shares a surprising experience on their social and cooperative nature. He said his ducks even protect him from being attacked by others!
In fact, they’ve one of the sharpest brains among the avians. They can choose better foods for themselves on the ground if trained well. Ducks are like feathery pals who love your company.
2. Breathing Like a Boss
Do you know ducks have an incredible way of breathing different from humans? Ducks have muscles that control their air sacs. This means the more they move, the more air goes in and out. It’s a bit like a built-in air pump that keeps them going strong, even during intense activities like flying. They don’t go down after a few minutes of flying, like us while running!
Cornel lab of Orthinology has done research on duck quacking. They found ducks can quack whether they’re breathing in or out, which is pretty awesome!
3. Eagle-Eye Ducks
The ducks also have some serious vision skills. Their field of vision is twice as big as ours. These amazing birds can see far-off stuff much much better than us. Here’s how.
They’ve got three eyelids, and they can see colors like they’re watching a 4D movie. These superhero-like vision powers help them spot predators and find food easily. Tell me if you’ve so many names that come to your mind with such qualities!
They can beat Cheetahs in a Race!
Ducks’ smartness is defined by their flying abilities actually. The way they control their flying and save themselves from being colisoned with other birds and flying planes and all that, that’s pretty remarkable!
Ducks may not win any walking contests on land, but they’re absolute pros in the sky. They’re like the Usain Bolt of the bird world, with an average flying speed of 50 miles per hour.
The Guinness World Record thinks some duck species are just as fast as a spark! For example, the red-breasted merganser can hit an incredible 100 miles per hour! It’s faster than the Cheetah, the king of speed in the land!
But what truly sets ducks apart is their ability to perform incredible stunts while flying. Ducks can also fly great distances without a pit stop.
For instance, Mallards can cruise a whopping 800 miles in just eight hours if the weather is good. That’s longer than the whole state of California!
A Scientific Research Breaks the Assumption: Ducks are Bird-Brained
Well, I’m not criticizing any birds here. Every creature has their own style of understanding stuff. It’s just ducks are more brilliant than other avians. Smithsonian magazine published an article on research performed by an Oxford University professor and scientist.
The research was performed on a couple of baby ducks. When they were just a newborn baby, they were shown something and then given a 12-hour dry-off. While they started moving they were about to go to the same thing they were showing earlier. This thing is called duck imprinting.
This is exactly how you can train them while they’re growing up. They’ll sit with you and sleep with you once you completely imprint them. The entire Smithson magazine article will be a helpful reading if you to know more insights into this matter.
Watch this video of Oxford researchers talking about smart birds:
Recommended studies:
Bottom Line
In the end, I hope you gotta admit that ducks are more than just quacky creatures in the water. They’re impressive with a unique set of skills and qualities that make them stand out in the bird world. Their intelligence, adaptability, and incredible physical abilities earn them the title of “smart birds.”
So, the next time you see a duck splashing around or soaring through the sky, take a moment to admire them. I want you to admire the fantastic qualities that make them such extraordinary creatures in the animal kingdom.
Sources And References:
- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/defying-stereotypes-ducklings-are-clever-they-are-cute-180959806/#bmWAms815vIMjYZf.99
- https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2017/getting-ducklings-row-look-inside-animal-mind-2/
