Ducks are omnivorous birds which means they will eat a mixture of both plants and animals. Because ducks eat whatever they can get their hands on, their diet will also depend on where they live and the food that is available, even food that people eat.
A lot of ducks eat different things at different times of the year. Some species eat more animal matter during breeding season and spring migration, and more plant matter during winter and fall migration. In the spring, Mandarin ducks eat mostly bugs, snails, small fish, and aquatic plants. In the summer, they eat mostly worms, fish, frogs, mollusks, and small snakes. In the fall and winter, they eat mostly acorns and grains.
Ducks are a common sight on lakes, ponds, and wetlands across North America. These aquatic birds have captivated people for generations with their cheerful quacking, waddling walks, and ability to thrive in city parks just as well as remote wilderness
But when it comes to their eating habits, what do ducks like to eat besides breadcrumbs from well-meaning park visitors? Can ducks catch and eat live fish straight from the water? Let’s take a closer look at the dietary habits of some popular duck species to find out.
An Omnivorous Approach to Feeding
Ducks are opportunistic omnivores, meaning they eat both plant and animal matter to fulfill their dietary needs. The specific foods ducks eat depends on a few key factors:
- Species of duck
- Time of year
- Geographic location and habitat
But in general, ducks need a balanced diet of grains, seeds, greens, insects, snails, fish, amphibians and more. They aren’t quite as picky as their goose cousins when it comes to sticking to plant foods!
Dabbling duck species in particular are known for having diverse diets, Let’s look at what a few popular dabbling ducks like to eat
Mallard Diet: The Jack of All Trades
The mallard is one of the most widespread and adaptable duck species. Mallards are dabbling ducks, meaning they feed near the surface rather than diving down deep.
Mallards will eat
- Grains and seeds: corn, wheat, barley, millet, etc.
- Aquatic plants and algae
- Insects and larvae
- Worms, snails, tadpoles, small fish
- Bread, rice, popcorn from park visitors
With a varied diet and ability to live in many wetland habitats, it’s no wonder mallards thrive across North America.
Wood Duck Diet: Acrobatic Foragers
Elegant wood ducks sport vibrant plumage and nest in tree cavities. These agile ducks have diverse eating habits to match their active lifestyle.
Wood ducks feed on:
- Seeds and nuts from trees/plants
- Berries and fruits
- Aquatic plants, roots, leaves
- Larvae, worms, insects
- Snails, crayfish, amphibians
- Small fish and minnows
Using their strong claws, wood ducks can perch on branches and grab insects and vegetation to supplement their main diet.
Northern Pintail Diet: The Plant Eaters
The slender “grayhound of the air” is built for speed and active foraging. Pintails sweep their bills through shallow water to capture:
- Grasses and sedges
- Pond weeds, duckweed, algae
- Seeds of marsh plants
- Aquatic invertebrates
- Occasionally small fish and tadpoles
Pintails are predominantly vegetarians, especially in winter. But they still opportunistically eat aquatic animals for protein.
Can Ducks Catch and Eat Live Fish?
Ducks employ a variety of foraging strategies based on their habitat and prey. Dabbling ducks like mallards skim the surface, while diving ducks hunt deeper waters.
Most ducks are not well equipped to pursue and catch healthy free-swimming fish. But they certainly will eat injured fish or small fish trapped in shallow pools. Watchful ducks are quick to capitalize on easy protein sources.
A viral video of a muscovy duck catching a large koi carp reveals their potential for opportunistic fish-eating behavior. But most duck species are not designed to hunt such elusive, speedy prey.
Instead, ducks are more likely to eat:
- Dead or weak fish floating on the surface
- Fish eggs
- Small fish fry or minnows
- Injured fish trapped in tidal pools or shallows
So while not exactly great fishermen, ducks can and do eat fish as part of their varied omnivorous diet. They just need the right circumstances to access these finned protein snacks.
Best Practices for Feeding Ducks
Many well-meaning people enjoy feeding ducks and other waterfowl at local parks and ponds. But what’s the healthiest way to feed ducks without causing harm?
Here are some duck feeding tips to keep in mind:
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Avoid Bread: While ducks love bread, too much can lead to poor nutrition and angle wing deformities.
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Try Healthy Alternatives: Offer frozen peas, birdseed, chopped lettuce, crushed oats, or duck feed pellets.
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Scatter Food Widely: Don’t let ducks crowd or fight over food. Spread it out along the shoreline.
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Avoid Plastic Packaging: Discard any plastic bags or wrappers which can choke or entangle ducks.
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Prevent Habituation: Feed sparingly to avoid ducks becoming dependent on handouts.
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Never Feed Ducks: Some experts recommend ending recreational duck feeding altogether.
When it comes to feeding ducks fish, use caution. Raw fish can harbor bacteria, parasites, and diseases. Cooked, unspoiled fish in small quantities is safer. Never release unwanted pet fish into wild duck ponds.
Raising Ducks: Fish as Part of a Healthy Diet
People who raise domestic ducks as backyard pets or for eggs/meat need to provide a balanced diet:
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Starter feed: High protein ration for ducklings.
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Grower feed: Less protein but with adequate nutrients.
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Layer feed: Optimized nutrition for breeding ducks.
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Maintenance feed: Sustains adult ducks’ condition.
Fish can supplement commercial feed but shouldn’t become a staple. Chopped fresh or frozen fish, canned tuna, fish pellets, and dried krill offer protein variety.
Proper nutrition is crucial for duck health and productivity. Work with an avian vet or expert breeder when formulating home-mixed duck diets.
Ducks Need Diverse Foods to Thrive
From acrobatic wood ducks to dabbling mallards, ducks need diverse foods to fuel their active lifestyles and migration. Their omnivorous diet includes plants, grains, insects, amphibians and yes, even the occasional fish or two.
Understanding what ducks eat helps bird lovers support wild duck populations through habitat conservation. And for those raising ducks, a balanced diet is key to the health and happiness of these remarkable waterfowl.
So next time you spot a duck nibbling some fish remains, remember: it’s just another part of their varied buffet from the pond!
Dabbling and diving ducks
Species of ducks can broadly be divided into two categories: dabbling ducks and diving ducks.
Diving ducks get most of their food by diving deep below the water to catch fish, chase bugs, or pull up plants that grow in the water. Dabbling ducks like to live in shallow water and eat by putting their heads under the water to catch bugs and plants. They also graze on land for seeds and grain.
Ducks are great swimmers and nearly always live near water, both freshwater and seawater. Aquatic plants, therefore, make up a large part of their diet throughout the year.
Some ducks, like gadwalls and wigeons, like the leaves of water plants like sedges, pondweed, and rushes. Other ducks, like mallards, pintails, and teals, like the seeds of wetland plants. Finally, scaups and pochards like to eat roots and tubers.
Many ducks, like mallards, wigeons, and pintails, eat crops like rice, wheat, corn, and barley in the winter. Ducks also eat berries, buds, seeds, and flowers, and wood ducks are known to eat acorns.
Both dabbling ducks and diving ducks eat invertebrates. Dabbling ducks tend to eat more terrestrial species and diving ducks prefer aquatic species.
For example, the American wigeon, which is a dabbling duck, eats midges, horseflies, and beetles. The lesser scaup, which is a diving duck, eats clams, snails, crustaceans, and aquatic insects.
Some species of duck, such as the eider, swallow mussels whole. The shells are then ground up in their gizzards and excreted. Eiders also eat crabs, removing their claws and legs before eating the body in one piece.
In Asia, farmers have taken advantage of ducks preying on pests by introducing a system called rice-duck farming. Ducks and rice are raised together in paddy fields. The ducks eat bugs and weeds that are bad for the crops, so no artificial pesticides are needed.
Fish is what most diving ducks, like scoters and goldeneyes, eat, but it’s only a small part of their diet.
Mergansers, which are also called sawbills or fish ducks, are the only species that eat a lot of fish. Their bills are specially designed with serrations that help them catch their food. They eat a wide variety of fish, including salmon, trout, sticklebacks, minnows, and eels.
Many species of ducks eat fish eggs or roe. Researchers found in 2020 that mallard ducks that were fed carp eggs were able to pass the eggs through their guts and hatch. It is not yet known whether any eggs survive this way in the wild.
Many ducks will eat frogspawn and tadpoles including tufted ducks and pochards. They will also eat froglets and toadlets, but most species of adult amphibians are too big for them to comfortably eat.
Greater scaups usually eat mollusks, aquatic plants, and aquatic insects. But they have been seen eating leopard frogs that are hibernating that they dug out of a freshwater pond next to a road. The frogs are about 5 cm long.