What is a male duck called? Duck - description, species, where it lives, what it eats, photos. Differences between females and males of different breeds

That's all today more people adhere to proper nutrition, giving preference to environmentally friendly products. Many are engaged in breeding ducks in order to obtain dietary meat, domestic eggs that do not contain GMOs and many other chemicals. It is very important to be able to determine the sex of the bird. Considering that the duck and the drake are representatives of the same species, not every beginner in poultry farming will be able to distinguish them. In fact, this is quite easy to do if you know about the sex differences in birds. Poultry farmers and hunters resolve this issue very quickly and accurately.

Why distinguish ducks

All experienced farmers manage their farms, always separating poultry by gender. A number of points are taken into account:

• Female ducks are completely non-confrontational, unlike drakes.
• Males are endowed with strong immunity and are more resistant to various diseases.
• Males gain weight much faster, and it is greater than that of females.
• When breeding poultry, it is necessary to maintain the ratio - there must be one drake for every four ducks. This is a very important condition for egg productivity.

Differences in appearance

First of all, you can distinguish ducks by their plumage. Like many other birds, the female does not have a distinct bright color; her feathers are gray and dull in color. But males are naturally gifted with a very beautiful outfit, which helps them attract individuals of the opposite sex. The rather long crest on the drake’s head can be seen even from a distance. Some domestic breeds are characterized by a single color color - males and females can be completely white.

Another way to distinguish a drake is a bright wart on the beak, which is absent in females. You can also recognize it by its neck - in males it is wide, while in ducks it is thinner and more delicate.

The head of female individuals is smaller and has a rounded shape, but in drakes it is oblong.

The tail also has significant differences. If you look closely, you can see that in drakes it has several feathers curled upward, while in females it is completely straight. This feature appears already from the third month.

The size of the birds is also important. The male individual is almost twice as large. If the female weighs about three kilograms, then even 5 kg is not the limit that a drake can reach with good care. The photo below demonstrates this difference very clearly.

However, it also happens that due to diet or living conditions, it is not always possible to determine the sex of ducks based on the characteristics listed above. It happens that females grow much larger than drakes.

How to distinguish females from drakes by behavior

There are some features in the actions of birds that directly depend on their gender. There will definitely be a dominant male in the pack. After observing him, you can easily identify the rest of the males, because it is they who he will not allow to the feeding trough and will constantly fight with them. On the contrary, he pays special attention to the females and lets them go ahead. Regardless of whether the ducks are in the air or on the water, the female is always in front, and a drake a short distance away ensures her safety.

The difference between a male and his voice

You don't have to see the bird to determine its gender. It's enough to just listen. An experienced hunter knows how to distinguish a duck from a drake, even if the birds hiding in the reeds are not visible. The female quacks loudly, without embarrassment. The drake emits only a dull hissing and whistling.

Difference in genitals

Based on all the characteristics listed above, it is possible to distinguish a female from a male after the chicks reach at least three months of age. They are uncharacteristic for day-old ducklings. The male can be identified by their genitals. The drake has a very rare difference, absent in most other birds - it is a pseudopenis, capable of turning outward. Using it, you can find out the sex of the bird within a day after hatching. It is enough to stretch the skin around the cloaca a little and direct it towards the tummy. If a spiral-shaped penis only two millimeters long appears, then it is a drake, and in the female only spherical growths will be visible.

If you do this procedure very early stages, and even for the first time, it will not always be possible to distinguish, since the genitals of the chicks are very small. After a few weeks, they become larger, and then the sex can be determined with confidence.

How to select ducks for breeding

Both drakes and females must be in good health and meet all standards a certain type: size, weight and color of feathers. Not allowed breeding ducks different body deformations.

In most breeds, sexual maturity does not occur until six months of age. They start laying eggs, then hatch them and

Not only the living conditions of ducks, the quality of food, but also the ratio of females and males affects the quality of eggs. Therefore, the ability to distinguish between a duck and a drake is one of the most basic skills that a novice poultry farmer must acquire.

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 either by a professional (hunter, farmer or duck breeder) or by a simple layman. To determine who is a female and who is a 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 you have to distinguish between domestic ducks, which are familiar to humans, but other species can also be found in nature. For example:

• Bashkir breed;
• musky;
• mergansers;
• river;
• Indian ducks.

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 distinguished by a brighter color in order to attract and charm females in mating season. the main task ducks are a continuation of the family, so they are distinguished by their gray dull 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 their tail, while females have a straight tail.
4. The long neck, head, and wide body help to recognize the drake at first sight.
5. The male specimen has a wide forehead, which begins to expand from the beak (triangular shape). In females, this part of the body is similar to a trapezoid.

Attention should also be paid to the sounds that the bird makes. The female usually produces a quack, while the drake usually produces only a hiss. The quack 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 females pass forward, while they themselves stay behind. Only when the duck begins to hatch eggs do the males let each other pass on ponds 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 after 2-3 months can you 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 the signals and try to hide. This method is used to distinguish females from males and place them in different cages.

Mallard duck offspring can be turned upside down. If the duckling looks back, it will be a male, and the female will simply hang there motionless. Behavioral aspects are very important, but it is worth taking into account their certain subjectivity. For example, the leader drake is already visible in early age: he fights, does not allow other males to approach 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 keeping ducklings together. 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.

Inspecting the chick can help. The drake has a small genital organ that looks like several folds. The organ can be seen if you press slightly on the anus. In ducks this organ is not developed. Therefore, experts examine the genitals of ducklings already on the 8th day after the chicks hatch.

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

Male and female mallards (video)

Determining the sex of an Indian duck

The Indian 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 hatch. All males are the same in behavior. They are pugnacious, lively, nimble, the male is the first to be near the drinking bowl or food, pushing others aside. But it is also 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.

If a male chick is chased, then he will not become a leader. And this may not be due to the character of the male duck, but to the underdevelopment of the genital organs or other physical features. Ducklings sense this very well and immediately identify the weak one. At the age of 3-4 months, the difference between babies becomes more noticeable. Ducks weigh about 3 kg (maximum), and Indian 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 be overgrown, while in an adult, almost the entire head will be overgrown.

Reasons for separation:

1. Rational distribution of feed. Males need to be fed more and more often, while females need to be fed on a different, individual schedule.
2. Separating birds helps protect ducklings from disease because drakes have stronger immunity.
3. Females in “female” company are calmer, do not enter into conflicts, and 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, you need 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 take a close look at the offspring. The leader of the pack is always visible. In flight, while swimming or walking, he leads both adults and children.

Ducks and geese are waterfowl. There are a lot of them, and they live all over the world. These birds have dense plumage, which helps retain heat, and webbed feet perfectly adapted for swimming.

Duck- this bird is small in size with a short neck and tarsus, covered in front with transverse scutes, it comes from the order Newopalatines, the order Anseriformes, and the family Anatidae. There are about 110 species of these birds in the world. The colors of ducks can be either monotonous or several colors. The most common ducks are white or gray.
All types of ducks weigh from 2 to 5 kilograms depending on age. They have short legs, on which they waddle funny when walking. The paws have three webbed front toes and a free rear toe. Most duck species live in fresh water. They feed on insects, worms and all sorts of plant foods. Male ducks are called drakes. They have bright plumage that attracts females. The feathers of females are beige-brown.

In villages and villages you can find Peking ducks. Males weigh an impressive 4 kg, while females weigh 3.5 kg. They can lay up to 120 eggs in a year. Young ducks gain weight in just 60 days.

One of the best ways raising ducks is duck(mother hen), who swims along the pond with her brood, searches for natural and naturally pure food, trains and protects the ducklings.
The most common ducks are: Mallard, Gray Duck, Pintail, Wigeon, Teal, Whistling Teal, Shoveler, Red-headed Pochard (Blue Duck), Tufted Duck, White-eyed Pochard.

Goose belongs to the class of birds, subclass of neopalates, order of Anseriformes, family of Anatidae, subfamily of Anseriformes and genus of geese. Geese are usually larger than ducks and have longer necks. Geese have rather large beaks, which they use to pull grass out of the ground. The beak of ducks is flatter - it is convenient for them to catch food from the water.
Geese, unlike other birds, have a beak that is orange or grey colour. The beak has greater height, but its width is not large, the end of the beak is expressed by a nail with a sharp edge. There are small teeth along the edges of the beak. Geese have a neck, but it is not as long as swans, they also have tall legs that are colored orange or gray, and their feet are a bit like flippers, which allows them to float on water.

Geese have a large number of feathers and down. The main difference between males and females is only a bone growth (“hump”) at the beginning of the beak at the bridge of the male’s nose, as well as a slightly larger body size.

Almost all types of geese cackle or make muttering sounds; when in danger or irritation, they hiss and can bite. The most common geese are: wild geese, greylag geese, Bean goose, Canada goose, White-fronted geese, White geese, White-breasted goose, Red-breasted goose, Brent goose, African geese.

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Both hunters and farmers need to be able to determine the sex of ducks. During the hunting period, shooting of drakes is permitted. The females are left so that they can later breed offspring, increasing the number of livestock within their breed. Farmers raise ducks for both meat and eggs. Males gain body weight faster. In a short period of fattening, they show better productivity.

For meat production, it is preferable to breed males rather than females. At the same time, females are taken to produce duck eggs. Males in poultry farms are kept to create bird families and to obtain hatching eggs. How to distinguish a duck from a drake? What should you pay attention to?

More than 150 species of ducks live in nature. Some of them are commercial. Duck drakes wild breeds They are distinguished by their bright plumage. During the mating season, the color of their feathers becomes rich and bright. Females, on the contrary, are modest in their attire. Most often it is monochromatic, gray, brown, red. Feathers form an ornament on the body that is characteristic of a particular breed.

In spring, drakes shed their bright plumage and look like a female. In this case, the size of the individuals matters. Males are always larger than females. During the winter molt, they are again covered with beautiful feathers, which remain until the mating season. Ornithologists note distinctive features in individuals of different sexes:

Experienced hunters and ornithologists can recognize a drake and a female by their voice. Ducks most often quack abruptly. Males can hiss, whistle, crackle, and produce intricate trills. It is especially important to pay attention to the voice wild birds after the spring molt, when the drakes lose their bright feathers.

Characteristics of domestic ducks

Farmers need to know how to distinguish males from females in a duck herd. This will allow them to properly form a herd and prescribe the appropriate diet. To determine the sex of ducks of domestic breeds, the following values ​​are important: external differences between a drake and a female.

This is especially visible in the spring, during the mating season. The male duck is bright. His behavior is active. Males begin to court females. They spread their wings, attracting ducks with their bright plumage. By the behavior of birds in a flock, one can distinguish the sex of individuals.

Some ducks of domestic breeds show clear sexual dimorphism in plumage color. Gender differences are visible in photographs presented on the Internet:

• Muscovy ducks. The main differences between the breed are the growths around the eyes and at the base of the beak. In the drake they are bright red and look like large warts. In ducks, the growth is small and has a pinkish tint. The male's plumage is black and white. The head and chest are cast green. Females are uniformly variegated;
• Khaki Campbell. The plumage of the birds is light brown. The boy can be recognized by the dark feather on his head and light wings. Girls are uniformly brown;
• Bashkir duck. Looking at pictures of birds, you may not immediately recognize them as domestic ducks. The bird pair is more similar to the mallard family. Individuals have identical plumage color. Getting to know them better, they are clearly noticeable distinctive features. Domestic ducks are much larger, weighing more than 4 kg.

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to determine the sex of birds by external characteristics, by the color of their feathers. There are individuals with snow-white plumage. It is difficult to recognize a female and a male in the following breeds: Agidel, Moscow White, Pekingese, Cherry Valley. How to create a duck meat and egg flock in this case? Experts resort to the Japanese technique. It allows you to determine the sex of individuals from birth. On external signs They don't pay attention. The chicks' down looks the same on most breeds of ducks.

According to the Japanese method of determining the sex of ducklings, it is proposed to inspect the cloaca of individuals and find the genitals. They are poorly developed, but anatomical differences in chicks can be detected. How to distinguish a duck from a drake by primary sexual characteristics? In the male, a protruding tubercle is clearly visible on the inner wall of the cloaca on the left. It is oblong. These are the beginnings of the penis. When examining females, no tubercles are visible.

The fallopian tube is closed by a membrane. It is a thin skin growth. An experienced specialist can determine the sex of 600 chicks with great accuracy in an hour. Inexperienced birders will need some time and skill to inspect the ducklings' cloaca. What actions do the homesteaders need to implement, how to determine the sex of chicks:

1. pick up the chick. Place it on your palm, back down;
2. perform a light massage of the lower abdomen;
3. lightly press on the stomach. The mucous membrane of the inner wall of the cloaca will appear;
4. inspect the left inner wall;
5. the male will have a 2 mm long process;
6. the female has a fallopian tube on the left. A smooth mucous wall will be found on it.

You need to act carefully. Lightly press on the abdomen, slightly pushing out the mucous membrane. Otherwise, there is a risk of the intestinal walls being squeezed out of the cloaca, which can lead to the death of the duckling. Experts advise contacting a veterinarian for help. This technique is used to determine the sex of geese, turkeys, and chickens.

Palpation of the larynx

There is another way to determine sex in birds. Anatomical differences in the structure of the larynx are noticeable between ducklings of different sexes. The duck drake has an expansion on the larynx. It has the shape of a ball. Females do not have this feature. The spherical expansion can be detected by palpation:

1. The duckling is picked up. Place the stomach on the palm;
2. with one hand they stretch his neck;
3. with the other hand they feel the expansion in the upper part of the chest;
4. the procedure is painless and safe.

To many poultry farmers and residents rural areas It is important to be able to distinguish a drake from a duck. At first glance it seems that this is impossible. This is especially difficult to do with newly born ducklings. People who have been raising this bird for a long time can determine the sex quickly and without errors.

There are a lot of recommendations and tips on the Internet on how to distinguish a drake from a duck. When it all comes down to practice itself, it becomes clear that in fact, there are not so many differences, especially when it comes to chicks. Let's find out what methods are used to identify the sexes of ducks.

Indian girls. Duck or drake?

Main advantages and differences in appearance

Why do you need to distinguish ducks by gender? In fact, experienced farmers farm according to gender.

What exactly is taken into account:

• female ducks do not strive to fly away, unlike males, they are not conflicting;
• males have strong immunity;
• the male duck is hardier than the female, more resistant to disease;
• drakes weigh much more than females;
• Egg productivity will depend on the sex ratio (1:4) - there should be more females.

In terms of sexual dimorphism, ducks differ in their plumage. Like many animals, the female does not have a bright color, most often it is gray and dull color of feathers. The male, on the contrary, is gifted by nature with bright and colorful colors to attract the opposite sex. The drake has a long and bright crest on its neck. One of the differences is the beard, which female ducks lack.

The tail is also slightly different. If you look closely at the very tip, you will notice that in males the feathers are curled upward (usually this is the tail of the Peking and Bashkir breeds), while in females the tail is straight. Males begin to curl their feathers from the age of 3 months. The drake weighs almost twice as much as the female. So, if the male weighs about 5 kg, then the female weighs up to 3 kg. The drake's forehead is wider, and the beak resembles a triangle. Females have a trapezoidal expansion.

Additional external differences females from males:

• the beak of drakes has a growth located upward;
• the bones of the forehead are more massive in males, expanding from the beak;
• the head of females is rounder than that of males;
• the neck of females is shorter and thinner;
• the body of females is narrower;
• the leg muscles are not as developed as in males.

It happens that external differences are practically not noticeable. This will depend on the conditions in which the birds are kept and their diet. It even happens that females are found larger than males. It is also not always possible to indicate the exact sex of ducks by plumage. Color depends on the species and breed. For example, domestic ducks are characterized by the same color for both males and females - white.

Behavior of males and females: what is the difference

In a flock of ducks, you can notice that the weaker sex is not the leader and always goes somewhere to the side or behind. This happens both in flight and while walking. Poultry farmers often notice aggression from drakes. Dominants often fight for food or females with other males. Experienced farmers have learned to distinguish a drake from a duck by its voice: the loud quack of a female is difficult to confuse with the hissing and whistling of a duck.

Muscovy ducks (drake - top)

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In small chicks, sex is more difficult to determine. It is usually only at 10-12 weeks of age that sexual dimorphism begins to appear. For many poultry farmers, gender is an important consideration when purchasing birds. Therefore, many have adapted to using a special ultrasonic device that can attract individuals of only one sex.

If you hold a duckling upside down by its paws, the female will be motionless, and the young drake will make attempts to look around. Of course, this does not guarantee gender determination, but it’s worth a try.

If ducks are not fed correctly and kept in inappropriate conditions, same-sex pairs can form. The dominant female can even completely copy the behavior of the drake. Males can also form pairs with each other. This is why the behavioral method of differentiation is unreliable.

Differences by gender

It turns out that if you really want to, you can even distinguish the sex of day-old chicks. To do this, you need to take the duckling with your left hand (head towards you) and massage its anal passage. If a small pseudopenis appears (about 3 mm in size), then you probably have a young drake in your hands. If nothing like this appears, then it is a female. In female representatives, small balls (like growths) will be visible.

Duck or drake - sex determination

This method is called Japanese. It gives a 98% guarantee. But everything will depend on the correctness of the process. Only an experienced specialist will be able to determine the gender using this method with 100% accuracy.

When a farmer knows how to distinguish ducks by various characteristics, he begins to rationally plan nutrition, feed distribution, and egg productivity. All this knowledge influences the reproduction of the bird; development depends on it. meat direction or egg.

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Video: Determining the sex of goslings (similar with ducklings)