The difference between a duck and a drake.

Duck and drake are male and female of the same species, but it is often difficult to distinguish between them. How can you tell if "boy" is in front of you or "girl"? Of course, if you are an experienced hunter or have kept these beautiful birds in your household for a long time, you will immediately tell who is who. And what about beginners who are just beginning to comprehend the basics of poultry farming or are novice hunters? First, let's take a closer look at our birds.

Definition

Duck - this definition includes several genera of birds from the extensive family of ducks. There are shelves, diving, river, duck, steamer ducks, musky, merganser. There are about 30 species in total in Russia alone. The ducks themselves are medium-sized birds. They have a short neck and a varied plumage color. The most typical representative for us is the common domestic duck. Females are capable of weighing up to 3.5 kilograms. And in terms of egg production, they are direct competitors of chickens - up to 250 eggs per year! Meat-egg, meat or egg breeds differ from domestic breeds. They are bred in many countries, including ours.

Drake - slightly larger. In appearance, his body is wider. Males are capable of weighing 4 kilograms. As for the appearance, unlike females, nature gave the drakes a brighter color. This is understandable. Ducks should continue to breed, hatch eggs, hiding in the reeds and not attracting special attention from hunters and predators. But males can show off, charm the weak duck sex, including due to their appearance.

Comparison

Sometimes, to distinguish one bird from another by sex, you don't even need to see these birds. Listen. The female quacks in a full voice, not at all embarrassed, while the drake is characterized by hissing with a certain whistle. This alone is enough for an experienced hunter to understand who is waiting for him in the reeds.

If, nevertheless, it was possible to meet with birds, then it is easy to determine the sex by appearance. Ducks are something grayish, nondescript, but a drake can be immediately identified by its bright plumage. This is especially noticeable on the head by the pearlescent green color. And the rest of the feathers are bright enough. It is worth noting that external differences are noticeable only from the age of 2-3 months. But what about before that?

Just like kittens - you need to look under the tail. The drake has one interesting feature - a pseudopenis (by the way, most birds do not have this), which can turn outward. Stretch the outer part of the anus with your left thumb and right index finger. Place your thumb on the edge of the cloaca and slide it up. The penis should be exposed, looking like a fold in the size of 3-4 millimeters. If this did not happen, you are in front of a duck. If you cannot perform this operation, you can simply take the tail to the back, sometimes this is enough.

From an anatomical point of view, the female has a more graceful neck, while the male has a wider neck.

The structure of the duck's head is closer to a rounded shape, while in the drake it is oblong.

To more clearly understand who is in front of you, pay attention to the tail. The drake has several feathers in this place, which form a kind of ring. But the female is deprived of such decoration.

You can see the difference in behavior. In flight or on the water, the male always keeps slightly behind the duck. However, here it is worth making an allowance for the season. If the female is sitting on the nest, then a pair of birds swimming or flying may just be two drakes.

Conclusions TheDifference.ru

  1. The duck quacks in full voice, and the drake prefers to hiss with a wheeze.
  2. The female is distinguished by a discreet gray coloration, while the male is brighter in color.
  3. The duck does not have a pseudopenis, but the drake does.
  4. The neck of the duck is more graceful, while in the drake it is wider.
  5. The head of a duck is much rounder than that of a drake.
  6. There is no ring of feathers on the duck's tail, but there is a drake.
  7. In behavior, the duck keeps slightly ahead of the drake in flight or swimming.
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