What do dabbling ducks do?

Tip upside down to feed in shallow water

What happens when ducks molt in summer?

They cannot fly for a few weeks

Waterfowl Quiz: Can You Get 8 Out of 10?

Ducklings imprint on the first moving thing they see, a discovery that made Konrad Lorenz famous, and this waterfowl quiz has more where that came from. Meet Canada geese, mute swans and mandarin ducks, and learn how waterproof feathers and webbed feet suit life on water.

Start Waterfowl Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Group
Which birds are known as waterfowl?
Waterproof
How do ducks keep their feathers waterproof?
Imprint
Which scientist showed goslings imprint on the first moving thing they see?
Mallard
What is the most widespread wild duck?
Dabble
What do dabbling ducks do?
Eider
Which duck's soft down is used in luxury bedding?
Swan
Who owns unmarked mute swans on parts of the Thames?
Mandarin
Which colorful duck comes from East Asia?
Molt
What happens when ducks molt in summer?
Goose
How far can Canada geese migrate?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which birds are known as waterfowl?
Answer: Ducks, geese and swans
They belong to the family Anatidae.
Q2: How do ducks keep their feathers waterproof?
Answer: Oil from a preen gland
They spread oil while preening.
Q3: Which scientist showed goslings imprint on the first moving thing they see?
Answer: Konrad Lorenz
The geese followed him around.
Q4: What is the most widespread wild duck?
Answer: Mallard
Most farm ducks descend from it.
Q5: What do dabbling ducks do?
Answer: Tip upside down to feed in shallow water
Their tails stick up.
Q6: Which duck's soft down is used in luxury bedding?
Answer: Eider
Iceland collects it from nests.
Q7: Who owns unmarked mute swans on parts of the Thames?
Answer: The British monarch
Swan Upping counts them each July.
Q8: Which colorful duck comes from East Asia?
Answer: Mandarin duck
It nests in tree holes.
Q9: What happens when ducks molt in summer?
Answer: They cannot fly for a few weeks
They lose flight feathers at once.
Q10: How far can Canada geese migrate?
Answer: Several thousand kilometers
Some populations stay year-round.

Waterfowl Quiz – Ducks, Geese and Swans

Waterfowl are birds of the family Anatidae, including ducks, geese and swans. They have webbed feet for swimming, flat bills for feeding and waterproof feathers kept oily by preening.

Dabbling ducks like mallards tip up to feed in shallow water, while diving ducks swim underwater for food. Geese graze on grass, and swans use their long necks to reach water plants. Many waterfowl migrate in large flocks.

Waterfowl have long been hunted and farmed, and wetlands are vital to their survival. Konrad Lorenz's studies of imprinting in geese helped found the science of animal behavior. Protecting wetlands helps waterfowl and many other species.

What This Quiz Teaches

Birdwatchers and students will enjoy these questions.

Which birds are waterfowl
How feathers stay waterproof
What imprinting is
How ducks feed
Why wetlands matter

Did You Know?

Swans can live over 20 years.
Wood ducklings jump from tall trees.
Geese mate for life.
Male ducks are called drakes.
Bar-headed geese fly over the Himalayas.