Ducks, mostly

A few things about ducks

• They stay dry on purpose. A gland near the tail produces oil that ducks spread over their feathers while preening, which is why water beads off their backs.
• Cold feet are fine. Warm blood flowing down a duck's leg passes right next to cold blood flowing back up, so the feet stay just above freezing without losing much body heat.
• Ducklings follow the first thing they see. Within hours of hatching they imprint on whatever moves nearby, which is usually, but not always, their mother.
• Not every duck quacks. The familiar loud quack belongs mostly to female mallards. Males rasp, whistle or grunt instead.
• They sleep in a row for a reason. Ducks resting in a line can rest one half of the brain at a time; the ones at the edges keep the outward-facing eye open.
• Dabblers and divers. Some ducks tip forward and feed from the surface with their tails in the air; others dive and swim underwater, propelled by their feet.

Why this page exists

Someone needed a home page and liked ducks. That is the whole story. It is plain HTML with no scripts, no cookies and no analytics, and it should load fine on anything with a screen.