Ducks are amazing animals.

You can find them all around our local area, in parks and ponds.

What do ducks eat?

Ducks are omnivorous and will eat grass, aquatic plants, insects, seeds, fruit, fish, crustaceans and other types of food.

Duck bills are super sensitive! In fact, they’re as sensitive as human fingertips. This helps them forage for small invertebrates in the mud and murky water.

Can I feed ducks bread?

Nope. Feeding ducks bread isn’t good for them. Bread has no nutritional value and can cause malnutrition as they get full and don’t eat anything else. Ducks can actually develop painful deformities if they consume too much bread.

Uneaten bread also spoils and leads to poor water quality and attracts rats.

What can I do to help ducks?

There are 2 ways you can help this cute waterfowl.

1. Get involved in the Australian Backyard Bird Count or Citizen Science projects about ducks in our local area.
2. Tell your friends to not feed the ducks. Spreading the message helps keep ducks safe.

What do you call a group of ducks?

A collective noun is any noun that is used to name a group of something.

The collective noun for ducks is a waddle.

This article is part of a monthly series about our feathered friends. Each month, our urban ecology team will share fun facts about birds in our local area and how we can keep them happy and healthy.