So, looking up some names to go with the gaggle of geese, and a.... flock of ducks. Looking up online, I found that a group of ducks actually can be a badelynge, bunch, brace, flock, paddling, raft or a team, per Ask.com. Mallards in a group are a 'sord'. Regardless, they are present at the Riparian Preserve, so photos were had and here are some better ones. There were some other birds at the watering hole, as well.
 |
| Female Mallard and Ducklings, enjoying the water. |
 |
| Male Adult Mallard Duck - Anas platyrhynchos |
 |
| Baby mallard duckling - Anas platyrhynchos |
 |
| House Sparrow - Passer domesticus |
 |
The boy's club, poolside. Most male mallards here
looked a little on the rough side. |
 |
| Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura |
 |
| White Swan Goose/Chinese Goose - Anser cygnoides domesticus |
The white swan goose, or Chinese goose, has a distinctive 'bill knob', the bulbous upper portion to their beak, present only in the Chinese and African goose. A little Wiki note, "all birds of the family Anatidae (ducks, geese, and swans) have a nail, a plate of hard horny tissue at the tip of the beak." This is used for moving mud to get at seeds, or for some diving birds, to pry open mollusks. Did you know that ducks are classified by how they eat? Divers are the ones that go under the water for their lunch, while dabblers usually skim the water around them, sticking their butts up in the air to get to a meal. The act of a duck up-ending itself head-first into the water is called 'dabbling'. Now you know, too!
No comments:
Post a Comment