Watch These Sky Diving Ducklings Take a Leap of Faith They Shouldn’t Survive – But They Do!

Hooded merganser ducks have devised a fantastic strategy to keep their eggs safe. They nest high up in a tree. The only problem is that once the ducklings hatch, they must somehow get down to the ground! These ducklings are too young to fly, so they must leap and hope for the best. Thanks to their light body weight and soft skeleton, they make it without suffering injuries. Take a look at these incredible bouncing ducklings!

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How Many Types of Ducks Are There?

Ducks are birds in the Anatidae family of waterfowl. They live worldwide (except for Antarctica), and around 34.2 million of them exist. There are over 130 species of ducks, but they are broadly divided into dabbling and diving ducks.  

What Are Dabbling Ducks?

Dabbling ducks have broad, flat bills. Importantly, they also have a comb-like structure on their bills that acts like a filter and traps food. They eat both plants (aquatic plants plus grains and seeds) and invertebrates (insects and worms). These are lightweight, buoyant birds that float high on the water. Their legs are towards the center of their body, helping them to tip forward quickly to get food from under the water. They constantly paddle to help themselves stay afloat while their head is under the water. These ducks have smaller feet, and their position allows them to walk quite easily on land. They spend most of their time in shallow wetlands and marshes, often in groups.

What Are Diving Ducks?

The hooded mergansers in this clip are diving ducks, and as their name suggests, they feed by diving underneath the water. Some ducks can reach depths of several feet. They expel air to reduce buoyancy and arch their body to do this. Then, they can propel themselves under the water using their large, webbed feet.

Typically, their dives last between 10 and 30 seconds, but some ducks can hold their breath for up to a minute. Diving ducks are heavier than dabbling ducks to help them sink under the water. Their bodies are wider in the middle, and their wings are shorter and more compact. Placing their feet (further back on the body) gives them greater thrust under the water. The disadvantage is that they look a little more ungainly on the land! They usually live on expanses of open water.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Agnieszka Bacal/Shutterstock.com