![]() Ducks mostly look for their food in water or mud. These birds’ bills also have nails at the end to hook or move food items. This behavior is similar to the way we use our fingertips to sense different things and materials. The bills are also soft at the edges because these birds search for food by touching and feeling it. The bills are approximately as long as their heads. This eating pattern is reasonably consistent among the many types of geese that are out there.ĭabbling ducks such as a Mallard have round-tipped and flat bills. Sea ducks, as the name suggests, get their food from the sea.Īll of the ducks within these categories have specific behaviors and characteristics that make them unique.Ĭonversely, geese are grazers and therefore, eat land plants and grass. Mallards graze on the plants under the water’s surface.ĭiving ducks stay close to deeper rivers so that they can search for their food within the water body. These classifications include dabbling ducks (like the Mallard), sea ducks, and diving ducks.ĭabbling ducks catch their food by dipping their heads into the water when floating in it. ![]() Each of these categories has to do with how these birds acquire their food. Fish & Wildlife Service classifies ducks into three distinct categories. Canada geese’s honks are loud, so they use that to advertise and defend their breeding territory. Mallards use noisy calls to protect their mates from other males that may harass them. Geese also communicate for the same reasons ducks do.īoth male Mallards and Canada Geese use vocalization during breeding. You may have heard a Canada Goose honk while flying overhead. They also use this vocalization during hatching and when searching for a nest site. They use this form of communication for various purposes and in different spaces.ĭucks quack to make other ducks know their location when they are on a breeding ground. Many breeds of female ducks are known for communicating through persistent quacking. Therefore, they do not need to compete against geese for food and eat what’s present in the parts that are closer to the surface of the water. As geese have longer necks, they can search for and reach different types of food in the water.ĭucks cannot get to these foods while swimming in a body of water. The difference in the neck length allows the geese and ducks to coexist in one environment. ![]() On the other hand, geese have anywhere between 17 and 23 neck vertebrae, depending on the breed. An average duck has 16 or fewer bones in its neck. In addition to that, ducks have fewer bones in their necks than geese do. While ducks have long necks too, they’re much shorter than those of geese. Geese have long necks that accompany their large bodies. The average weight of a Canada goose is between 105.8 oz to 317.5 oz.Īnother visible difference between geese and ducks is the bird’s neck length. The goose’s overall greater size also means that it’s heavier than average ducks. Geese are significantly longer head to tail, and their wingspans are much longer as well. Wingspan length: between 50.0 inches and 66.9 inchesįrom the details above, it’s clear that even the smallest of average geese are larger than ducks.Length: between 29.9 inches and 43.3 inches.The size of an average Canada goose is between a mallard and a Mute Swan. They fly around from one place to the other a lot and are visible mostly in the summer. Canada geese are found all across North America. The average weight for a Mallard is between 35.3 oz and 45.9 oz.įor the purposes of this size comparison, we’ll use the Canada Goose as a reference. Wingspan length: between 32.3 inches and 37.4 inchesīecause ducks are smaller than geese, they also have less weight.Length: between 19.7 inches and 25.6 inches.The size of an average Mallard is between a crow and a Canada goose. They’re also the ancestor for most domestic duck breeds. There are various types of ducks, so we’re using the measurements for mallards to explain the size differences between geese and ducks.įor those of you who don’t know, Mallards are one of the most common ducks you can find in North America and Eurasia.
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