Waterfowl ID

Learn fascinating information about various waterfowl species including breeding and migration information. In addition, you can even listen to what the waterfowl sound like in the wild, so you can easily identify them on your next outing.

View the Gallery!  | Waterfowl ID Quiz

Waterfowl Life Cycle

In the space of one year a duck experiences the full spectrum of seasonal changes that usher in opportunities and challenges. Follow the life cycle diagram from breeding to wintering for a better understanding of the activities and energy requirements in different phases of a duck's annual cycle.

Follow a Mallard Through the Annual Cycle

Think you know all about migration?
Test yourself with DU's all-new Waterfowl Migration Quiz!

How to Handle "Urban" Ducks

"I found a mallard nest on my property. What should I do now?"

It's one of the most frequent questions to hit Ducks Unlimited inboxes and phone lines. It's also a question that addresses an increasingly common phenomenon: mallards and mallard "lookalikes" inhabiting urban areas. Get your questions answered by DU Chief Biologist Dale Humburg on dealing with resident mallards and Canada geese.

Read more

Mating & Nesting Articles

• Ducks Nesting in Your Backyard?
• Spring Wood Nesting Duck Boxes | Plans (pdf)
• Waterfowl Mating Systems
• Parental Care
• Ducklings & Goslings
• Waterfowl Renesting
• Predator-Prey and Nest Success: Shotgun Approach to Nesting
• Nesting Success Research
• Fact Sheet: Duck Nesting Success (pdf)

"Understanding Waterfowl" Features from Ducks Unlimited Magazine

• Dressed for Success
• The Incubation Period
• Waterfowl Diseases
• Waterfowl Vocalizations
• Resident Canadas
• The Curious Lives of Sea Ducks
• Think Like a Duck
• Banding Together
• The Scoop on Bills
• Trials of the Tundra
• Waterfowl Renesting