What is the name of a male duck. External differences between a drake and a duck. From wild to domestic

In many breeds, the differences between a duck and a drake are not obvious. If you do not know what signs you need to pay attention to, it is impossible to separate males from females in most cases, it is especially difficult to determine the sex of ducklings. However, there are character traits appearance and character that make it possible to distinguish a duck from a drake. Once having learned to reliably determine the sex of ducks, in the future you can always do it without much difficulty.

It is very important to be able to determine the sex of a bird, since it is necessary to correctly select the ratio of drakes and ducks in the livestock. Ideal amounts of the first and second when grown for meat and for obtaining a large number eggs for the purpose of producing offspring are different, but in both cases, the correct selection of proportions will help maximize productivity.

Drake plumage is brighter than ducks

Pictured is a male and female Muscovy duck

drakes wild duck have bright plumage.

Characteristic external differences of drakes:

• brighter than in females, plumage;
• larger sizes;
• a wide forehead has the shape of a triangle;
• tuft of feathers around the neck;
• large beak;
• feather beard.

Despite the fact that drakes are characterized by larger sizes, when kept at home, this rule is not always followed. Sometimes the male may be smaller than the females, this largely depends on the conditions of detention and diet. The forehead of the drake expands sharply upwards from the beak, while in females its outlines are smoother, and in shape it is closer to a trapezoid.

Reference. A portable device that generates ultrasound allows you to quickly determine the sex of ducks. Empirically, you can choose a frequency on it that will be unpleasant for individuals of a certain sex. In this case, when you turn on the device, they will move to the side.

Another way to determine the gender of a duck is to observe its behavior. The drakes let the females go forward, keeping behind and a little to the side.

They are also usually distinguished by their noisiness and pugnacity. This behavior is especially characteristic of the dominant male in the population, which always seeks to emphasize its dominant position.

At the same time, he will direct his aggression precisely at other males. Ducks, unlike drakes, do not tend to conflict, they have a calm nature and try to fly away much less often.

However, by these features it is far from always possible to correctly determine the sex. If there is an incorrect ratio of drakes to ducks in the stock - and the ideal ratio is 1:4 - females can behave like males, and vice versa. Behavioral features, as well as features of appearance by which sex can be determined, appear only in the second or third month of life.

Determining by gender is the most accurate way to find out if a drake is in front of you or a duck. In this way, you can even find out the sex of one-day-old chicks. You need to take the bird and put it on its back, okay, and then with the other hand gently grasp the skin from the cloaca towards the abdomen.

The male will show a small vestigial penis, or pseudopenis, while the female will have two round, spherical growths. Despite the seeming simplicity of this method, it is quite difficult to master it, but after gaining some experience, every poultry breeder can handle this task.

The difference between the male voice

You can also determine gender by voice. Females are much more noisy, they quack sharply and loudly. While for males, a low whistling hiss is more characteristic. With the help of such easy way you can quite reliably distinguish a drake from a duck, but you should not rely on it alone.

Important. In order to definitely avoid confusion when determining gender, you should always focus on several methods.

Since differences in appearance and behavior become clearly visible only in the third month of life, determining the sex of ducklings is especially difficult task. It is best to use the method described above for this, which involves examining the genitals.

The accuracy of this method is about 99%, but in order to apply it, you need some experience. It is often difficult for beginner poultry farmers to cope with such a task. Once you know the gender of the ducklings, for your own convenience, you can attach marks to them so that in the future you will always know whether it is a male or a female.

Many breeds have their own characteristic features that are characteristic of them, by which a drake can be distinguished from a duck:

It is often very difficult to determine the sex of a duck by one or two of the above signs. In the case of domestic ducks, due to the conditions of keeping and nutrition, females often acquire certain traits of males, and vice versa. Therefore, it is not surprising that even farmers who have kept ducks for more than a year sometimes get confused on this issue.

As a result, the ratio of birds of one and the other sex in their population is far from ideal, as a result of which productivity drops, and some poultry farmers are trying to get offspring in a situation where in fact their flock is only males or only females. In order to avoid such mistakes, it is necessary to determine the sex not by one, but by several signs.

In the video, the farmer shares a simple and effective way how to distinguish a drake from a duck.

After the problem is solved, a special label can be attached to the duck, which will avoid confusion in the future. With a careful and responsible approach to business, you will always know how many ducks and drakes are among your livestock, and this will allow you to get maximum amount meat and eggs.

Let's talk about the name of the male duck. bird boys play important role in breeding, fertilizing female birds. In addition, they care for and protect the offspring and the female hatching it. Hatched ducklings can also count on the help of their father, at least in the first days after birth. Males stand out appearance, behavior and dimensions. The choice of the manufacturer depends on the quantity and quality of the new duck stock. Details in the article.

Characteristic

A duck boy is called a drake. It will not be difficult to distinguish it from a duck if you use the methods described in the article.

The male duck has important difference from the female - a spiral-shaped genital organ from 1.5 to 3-4 millimeters long, depending on age.

When excited, it increases in size, sometimes equaling the length of the body. This feature complicates the life of drakes, making it difficult to fly and move on water or land.

The male duck has other distinctive features:

• Bright plumage color. During the mating season, it becomes even brighter - this helps the drakes to attract females for mating.
• The body of males is larger than that of females. The weight of a wild male reaches 2-4 kg, domestic - 5-6 kg.
• A long neck with a tuft of a brighter color than the rest of the plumage.
• Head with a wide forehead, triangular beak, it has a beard.
• Some drakes have "curls" at the tip of their tails.
• Behavior dominant, sometimes aggressive. Males are able to arrange a fight for a female or food.

Differences between domestic and wild birds

The behavior of males change based on the habitat - whether they live at home or live in the wild.

In nature, drakes protect the nests where the females incubate the masonry from the attack of predators: birds, foxes, martens, snakes. In a home environment, this is not necessary.

Domestic drakes are trusting and are not afraid to approach people. Separate types wild birds, for example, mallard, are also suitable for humans. However, for them it sometimes ends badly. Due to the extermination of ducks by people for fun or subsistence, some wild species have become on the verge of extinction.

The nutritional characteristics of domestic and wild birds do not differ much. However, domesticated ducks do not have to look for food around the clock - they are fed by the owner. On the other hand, they are able to feed on their own, as well as wild males: crustaceans, grass, duckweed and other food found on pastures and in reservoirs.

Description of wild males

The wigeon has a light body and a head with brown plumage. Males are cautious, shy, often hide in reeds and other secluded places, fly fast. Therefore, hunting for them is difficult and reckless for hunters. More information you will find in the article.

The teal has several subspecies: cracker, whistle, kloktun, marble and others. IN autumn period drakes become common Brown like the females. You can learn more about this variety of wild ducks in the article.

Distinctive feature male killer whale - black legs and beak. The plumage is inconspicuous, which makes them look like females.

During the mating season, the male pintail does not change the color of the plumage. It remains inconspicuous, as in females.

From wild to domestic

The mallard is a common species of wild duck. Drakes have bright plumage with a white stripe around the neck. They are careless and naive, so they become an easy target for hunters. Mallard males and females have long been kept at home. The features of their domestication can be found in the article.

Indiana is called differently Muscovy duck, due to the release of fat with a musky aroma. The drakes of this breed have big weight, unpretentious, rarely make sounds. Another feature of males is strong immunity. They live long and rarely get sick.

Peking duck is often kept in personal subsidiary farms. The males of this breed are similar in color to the females. You can distinguish them by weight: drakes reach a mass of 4 kilos, while ducks - no more than 3.5 kilos. In addition, boys are more restless than girls, and often conflict with "competitors". Other common domestic breeds are described in the article.

Drake selection per tribe

At right choice tribal drake Indians, Pekingese or any other breed can be counted on to get strong and healthy offspring.

Males play an important role in the economy. Starting from the fertilization of females to obtaining fresh, healthy meat and warm fluff. When choosing drakes for a tribe, be guided by the following parameters:

• The body of the chick should have the correct proportions - a straight keel without curvature.
• Healthy males are active and noisy. Lethargic or aggressive birds are not recommended.
• It is better to choose weekly drakes - by this time they will get stronger and show character.

Do not forget about the ratio in the duck tribe: there is one drake for three females. The distribution of feed and keeping conditions depend directly on the number of drakes in the household.

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Many people at least once in their lives have seen ducks and drakes on lakes, ponds and other bodies of water.

At the same time, you can meet both nondescript birds with brown feathers, and beautiful representatives with gray-white plumage and a green head.

Due to the different colors, males and females can be distinguished, but this is far from the only difference.

General information

The duck family includes more than a hundred different species, of which more than thirty genera are easy to find on the territory of Russia.

Among these species is the subfamily of true ducks. It is further divided into 5-8 subgroups, whose representatives have the most characteristic features.

These include ducks:

1. Earthy.
2. Diving.
3. River.
4. Brilliant.
5. Stream.
6. Marine.
7. Steamboat ducks.
8. Savki.

Domestic ducks are descended from the mallard or mallard wild duck. They are bred in many countries and are traditionally divided into:

1. meat;
2. egg;
3. meat-egg.

Important: only females are called ducks - males are called drakes.

Ducks are small birds with a short neck and membranes. They have a variety of feather colors, many have a so-called “mirror” on their wings - a spot of blue color, which helps to recognize "your" species.

Coloration depends on gender and is expressed during the breeding season, when males become brighter than females and attract attention. In summer and autumn, molting occurs, during the latter, due to the change of flight wings, ducks cannot fly for some time.

feed on aquatic plants and seeds, do not mind eating shellfish and insects. The weight of poultry is up to 3-4 kg in drakes and about 3-3.5 kg in females. The latter are able to bring up to 250 eggs per year, wild species more "humble". Mostly females incubate eggs, they also raise children.

Why you need to know the differences

In order to correctly count the birds in the household, the owner needs to know exactly the difference between females and males.

This will help not only to establish their number, but also to choose a farming model and form the most optimal ratio of individuals. It is important to remember that:

1. Males are more aggressive and conflict, more likely to fly away and have good disease tolerance.
2. Males weigh more than females - this is important when trading duck meat.
3. For good reproduction, there should be 3-4 females per male.

Differences between two individuals may lie in external signs and behavior. Some difficulty is the recognition of gender in ducklings, since they do not yet have clear signs.

Gender (click to enlarge)

There are 4 ways to recognize the gender of ducks:

1. External differences

TO external differences relate:

1. Plumage: in males it is brighter, especially in spring, in mating season, also drakes have a small "beard";

Note: in the household, identical white birds are often found, which cannot be distinguished.

1. Females look smaller and more elegant than males: they have a round head, a shorter neck, and less developed paws. Their weight reaches 3 kg, the weight of males reaches 5 kg - such data is given for the Favorit breed;
2. The tail of drakes is round, in ducks it is sharp;
3. The drake's beak has a small outgrowth on top;
4. The forehead of a duck is narrow, the entire head with a beak resembles a trapezoid in shape, in a drake the shape looks more like a triangle (expands from the beak);
5. differ in growths on their heads: in the drake they are larger in size.

It is important to remember that this method is not reliable, since external structure birds can change a lot due to diet and other reasons.
For example, a lack of nutrition can lead to a decrease in the male, and its excess - to the enlargement of the female.

1. Japanese method

The Japanese version of medical recognition, based on differences in the reproductive system, is recognized as more truthful. Drakes have a so-called pseudopenis - a small fold about 3-4 mm in size. To find it, you need to take the bird to left hand, turn her head towards you and open the anus with your right fingers, then turn. In females, it will be possible to detect flat spherical growths, in males - a rudiment of a spiral member.

1. Differences in behavior

This method is more suitable for experienced poultry farmers who can distinguish the behavioral characteristics of their pets. These include:

1. Aggressiveness of dominant males: it manifests itself in frequent fights for females and food;
2. When a flock gathers together, the females usually walk in front, while the males are located on the side to the side;
3. Drakes hiss and whistle more often, and ducks quack.

It is important to remember that due to improper maintenance or care, the bird may develop homosexuality, and it will begin to copy someone else's behavior. For example, a dominant female will start to fight or run away to the drakes, and a passive male will cling to the opposite sex.

1. Differences in ducklings

While the ducklings are small, it is rather difficult to distinguish females and males in them: the first external signs will begin to appear only at the age of 2-3 months. The Japanese method described above remains the most reliable method.

In second place is the ultrasonic method. To do this, you need to purchase an ultrasonic device and, choosing the frequency, track when ducks come running, when drakes come running.

Cleaning sewer pipes at home:

1. Folk way

Folk remedies offer to follow the behavior of ducklings in a flock: like adults, drakes are more pugnacious. An interesting option is the following method: you need to grab the duckling by the paws and lower it upside down. The boy will start to break free, the girl will remain hanging.

Accurate determination of the sex of birds will help to properly distribute food and choose the direction of development of the economy. It is important to remember that each breed of bird has its own differences, which may not coincide with the general ones. You can learn about them from the video or by comparing photos of drakes and ducks.

How to distinguish a duck from a drake, see next video expert advice:

Very often we meet different birds in the wild or in the household, but it is not always possible to determine not only their breed, but also their gender. Although it is sometimes very difficult to do this, there are still various signs that make it possible to understand whether we have a male duck or a female in front of us. And it is about the male sex of ducks that you will learn below. After all, they are beautiful birds.

First of all, you need to understand that ducks are waterfowl and are considered old relatives of swans. A few centuries ago, hunting for wild birds was very popular, but not only because of sports interest, and also because of tasty meat and high quality down. If we talk about male field this bird, it is called a drake and has a number of small differences from the female.

Although drakes, like ducks, differ from their distant relatives in their smaller size. After all, their body length is no more than 35 cm, although musky drakes this figure fluctuates around 85 cm. And all this is shown in the photo below.

Their average weight about 3 kg, but everything, of course, depends on the species. The down of ducks, and in particular drakes, is very thick and dense, so they tolerate low temperatures. Also, these birds quickly get used to their habitat, and because of the structure of the neck, they can easily dive and swim. Therefore, most drakes get food under water. One more hallmark of this kind of birds it can be said that because of their special flight they have the opportunity to settle in those places that are not accessible to others.

Appearance

It is worth noting that the difference between the female and the male is mainly represented by different plumage colors. Drakes differ from females in their brighter and more colorful feather colors, while ducks are painted in more gray and camouflage shades. It is also worth mentioning that their size is slightly larger, and the beak is not only yellow, but also red, blue and black. A male of any kind has a necklace around his neck. white color, at a time when shades of feathers can be yellow and green.

Females, on the other hand, choose their future couple, based on how bright the duck's beak is and it is desirable that it be yellow. Another feature that is inherent only to male ducks is that they have a special crest, which is also designed to draw the attention of the female to this particular male and make her the future mother of his ducklings.

habits

During the period when the time comes to build a nest and have offspring, drakes attract the attention of their future females precisely with the help of their colorfully colored feathers. It is also worth noting that despite their silence throughout their lives, during the time when the drakes are looking for a female, they behave quite loudly.

Special distinctive quality

In drakes, unlike other bird species and males, one can see features not only in appearance and behavior, but also in anatomical structure birds. It is in the walls of the cloaca that the drakes have a large penis, which you don’t immediately recognize, since it is modified, but quite impressive in size.

It can also turn outward, but this happens only during nesting and during the mating season. Although it is this organ that makes the flight of a bird difficult and complicates its life, because its size is sometimes equal to the length of the body of a male duck, no matter what kind it is.

Value in nature

In addition to the fact that drakes are engaged in the fertilization of their females, they practically do not carry any special significance, except for excellent and healthy meat and warm thick fluff. At what such that it is used in the manufacture of clothing. Although it is worth noting that some species of male ducks are used to make a homeopathic remedy for sick and people in need.

The male duck - the drake - belongs to the same species as the female, but it is not difficult to distinguish them visually. This can be done by both a professional (hunter, farmer or duck breeder), and a simple layman. To determine who is female and who is male, just look at the color of the bird's plumage.

The male duck, the drake, belongs to the same species as the female.

Usually domestic ducks, which are familiar to humans, have to be distinguished, but other species can also be found in nature. For example:

• Bashkir breed;
• musky;
• mergansers;
• river;
• Indians.

In order to visually distinguish a male from a female, you should pay attention to the size of the bird. Females are somewhat smaller and can weigh up to 3.5 kg, while the male is larger, more powerful, has more weight(about 4 kg).

The male is also distinguished by a brighter color to attract and charm females during the mating season. the main task ducks are a continuation of the genus, so they are distinguished by dull gray plumage, so that in conditions wildlife or in the household not to attract attention, to protect eggs and chicks. Among other external differences that you need to pay attention to in order to distinguish a duck from a drake, it is worth noting the following:

1. The male has a crest on his neck, in which there are bright, long feathers.
2. The presence of a beard in a drake.
3. Males have rounded feathers at the end of the tail, while females have a straight tail.
4. The long neck, head, wide body help to recognize the drake at first sight.
5. The male has a wide forehead, which begins to expand from the beak (triangular shape). In females, this part of the body looks like a trapezoid.

Attention must also be paid to the sounds that the bird makes. Quacking usually comes from the female, and only hissing from the drake. The quacking of ducks is always loud - this is how it attracts ducklings, and the voice of the male can rarely be heard.

Hunters, for example, recommend paying attention to how the male behaves among others. Drakes can let the females go forward, while they themselves stay behind. Only when the duck begins to incubate the eggs do the males let each other pass on water bodies or when flying.

Gallery: drake and duck (25 photos)

Differences between a duck and a drake (video)

Sexual characteristics at an early age

With ducklings, the situation is somewhat different. Only at 2-3 months you can see the differences. On farms, ultrasound is used to separate ducklings. Only individuals of one sex react to a certain frequency, while others are afraid of signals and try to hide. This method is used to distinguish females from males and seat them in different cages.

Mallard offspring can be turned upside down. If the duckling looks around, then it will be a male, and the female will just hang without moving. Behavioral moments are very important, but it is worth considering their certain subjectivity. For example, the leader drake is already visible in early age: he fights, does not let other males near the “girls”, makes more noise than others, that is, he tries in every possible way to stand out.

But females can also differ in dominant behavior. They can also imitate behavior during mating, which is associated with the joint keeping of ducklings. The behavior of females can also be characteristic of drakes, so you should not focus only on the behavior of chicks at an early age.

Help can be provided by examining the chick. The drake has a small penis that looks like a few folds. The organ is visible if you press a little on the anus. In ducks, this organ is not developed. Therefore, experts examine the genitals of ducklings already on the 8th day after hatching.

The drake can be defined in another way. For example, raising the tail and pointing it towards the back. Thus, in representatives of ducks, the genital organ is visible. If it is not there, then this is a female duck or indo-duck.

Mallard males and females (video)

Determining the sex of an indo

Indo-duck drake (as the large breed is called) will look different from the offspring of ordinary mallards. Boys are larger than girls, and this can be seen visually a few days after the chicks have hatched. Behaviorally, all males are the same. They are pugnacious, brisk, nimble, the male is the first to be near the drinker or feed, pushing the others. But it is worth paying attention to how other ducklings treat the male. If they listen to him, then this is a clear leader, who will then lead the pack.

In the event that a male chick is chased, then he will not become a leader. And this may not be due to the nature of the male duck, but to the underdevelopment of the genital organs or other physical features. Ducklings feel this very well and immediately identify the weak. At the age of 3-4 months, the difference between babies becomes more noticeable. Ducks weigh about 3 kg (maximum), and Indo-duck drakes can gain up to 6 kg.

Indo-duck chicks do not have a characteristic growth, which appears somewhat later. In a young drake, only a small part of the head will grow, and in an adult, almost all.

Reasons for separation:

1. Rational distribution of feed. Males need to be fed more and more often, and females on a different, individual schedule.
2. Separating birds helps protect ducklings from diseases, as drakes have stronger immunity.
3. Females in the "female" company are more calm, do not enter into conflicts, do not want to fly.
4. You can adjust the number of drakes and females on the farm to get more eggs and ducklings.
5. You can get more meat from males if the farm is focused on meat production.
6. For selection, it is necessary to select drakes and ducks, dividing them into flocks. One drake - for 3-4 females.

Thus, it is not difficult to find visible differences between a drake and a duck. You just need to look closely at the offspring. The leader of the pack is always visible. In flight, while swimming or walking, he leads both adults and kids.