0 favorites     0 comments    148 visits

1/500 f/6.3 82.8 mm ISO 100

Panasonic DMC-FZ18

EXIF - See more details

See also...


Keywords

nature
Calgary Zoo
annkelliott
Panasonic DMC-FZ18
Calgary
FZ18
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Duck
Alberta
Canada
beak
ornithology
bird
male
P1100098 FZ18


Authorizations, license

Visible by: Everyone
All rights reserved

148 visits


Quack, quack

Quack, quack
Freely wandering around at the Zoo, this male Mallard gave me a chance to see inside a duck's bill.

"The mallard has what you might call a typical duck's bill. The bill isn't very long, but it's not very short, either. It's not overly wide, nor overly narrow. It's a very versatile bill because it lets the mallard eat a wide assortment of plants and animals, from microscopic plant seeds to snails and acorns.

Wildlife biologists consider mallards to be "gen-eralist feeders." That means they'll eat whatever food is available. Although mallards sometimes eat insects, plankton and even snails, more than 90 percent of a mallard's diet comes from plants, They mostly eat wetland plants, but they'll also consume land plants, including grasses and crop plants like wheat, barley, rice, oats and peanuts.

If you look closely, you can see a kind of serrated fringe along a mallard's bill. This uneven edge not only allows it to grip food more securely, but it also strains tiny plants and animals from water or mud." From mdc.mo.gov/kids/out-in/2004.

Comments

Sign-in to write a comment.