Ducks are known to be one of the species that are attractive and irresistible to look at.
They are some of the world's well known and most beloved animals because they make great
pets and are highly social animals.
There are many species of ducks found around the world that have exotic beauty which are
admired by many.
With over 120 duck species known to us, here are the 10 most beautiful ducks in the world.
Number 10.
The long-tailed duck, once known as oldsquaw, is a medium-sized sea duck that breeds in
tundra pools and marshes, but also along sea coasts and in large mountain
lakes in the North Atlantic region, Alaska, northern Canada, northern Europe, and Russia.
The male has a long pointed tail (10 to 15 cm (3.9 to 5.9 in) long) and a dark grey bill
crossed by a pink band.
The long-tailed duck is gregarious, forming large flocks in winter and during migration.
They feed by diving for mollusks, crustaceans and some small fish.
Although they usually feed close to the surface, they are capable of diving to depths of 60
m (200 ft).
They are the only ducks that use their wings to dive, which gives them the ability to dive
much deeper than other ducks.
Number 9.
Barrow's goldeneye is a medium-sized sea duck that breeds in wooded lakes and ponds primarily
in northwestern North America, but also in scattered locations in eastern Canada and
Iceland.
Adults are similar in appearance to the common goldeneye.
On average, adult males are 48.8 centimeters (19.2 inches) long and weigh 1.0 kilograms
(2.13 lb); females are typically 43.2 centimeters (17
inches) long and weigh 0.6 kilograms (1.31 pounds).
Adult males have a dark head with a purplish gloss and a white crescent at the front of
the face, while adult females have a mostly yellow bill.
They are migratory and most winter in protected coastal waters or open inland waters.
Barrow's goldeneye, along with many other species of sea ducks, rely on urbanized, coastal
estuaries as important places on their migration patterns.
These estuaries provide excellent wintering and stopping places during the ducks' migration.
Number 8.
The falcated duck or falcated teal is a gadwall-sized dabbling duck that breeds in eastern Asia.
It is widely recorded well outside its normal range, but the popularity of this beautiful
duck in captivity clouds the origins of these extralimital birds.
Males and females have similar lengths at 46 to 53 cm (18-21 in).
Their weight can range from 422 to 770 g (14.9-27.2 oz), with males weighing more than their female
counterparts.
The breeding male is unmistakable.
Most of the body plumage is finely vermiculated grey, with the long sickle-shaped tertials,
which give this species its name, hanging off its back.
The large head is dark green with a white throat, and a dark green collar and bronzed
crown.
This dabbling duck is strongly migratory and winters in much of Southeast Asia.
It is estimated that there are about 89,000 falcated ducks in total; this is much higher
than the previous population estimate of 35,000 worldwide.
Number 7.
The Steller's eider is a smallish sea duck that breeds along the Arctic coasts of eastern
Siberia and Alaska.
This species is the smallest eider at 45 cm (18 in) long.
The male is unmistakable with his white head marked by a thick black eye ring and greenish-black
tufts of feathers on the forehead and the back of the head.
Chin, throat and neck are also black, as are the back, tail, and rump.
Wings are dark bluish-purple with white edging.
This duck winters somewhat farther south in the Bering Sea, northern Scandinavia and the
Baltic Sea where it can form large flocks of up to 200,000 birds on suitable coastal
waters.
It dives for crustaceans and molluscs, with mussels being a favoured food.
Number 6.
Hooded mergansers are the second smallest species of merganser, with only the smew of
Europe and Asia being smaller, and it also is the only merganser whose native habitat
is restricted to North America.
The hooded merganser is a sexually dimorphic species.
During the nonbreeding season the male looks similar to the female, except that his eyes
are yellow and the female's eyes are brown.
In breeding plumage the dorsal areas and the head, neck and breast of the mature male are
mainly black with white markings; there are large white patches on either side
of the crest, and they are particularly conspicuous when he raises his crest during courtship.
His lower flanks are a rich reddish-brown or chestnut in colour, and the breast and
undersides are more or less white, extending into white stripes across the crop and breast.
Hooded mergansers are short-distance migrants, and they winter in the United States in regions
where winter temperatures allow for ice-free conditions on ponds, lakes and rivers.
Number 5.
The king eider is a large sea duck that breeds along Northern Hemisphere Arctic coasts of
northeast Europe, North America and Asia.
The birds spend most of the year in coastal marine ecosystems at high latitudes, and migrate
to Arctic tundra to breed in June and July.
This duck measures 50-70 cm (20-28 in) in length with a wingspan of 86-102 cm (34-40
in).
The male is unmistakable with its mostly black body, buff-tinged white breast and multicoloured
head.
The head, nape and neck are a pale bluish grey while the cheek is pale green.
The bill, separated from the face by a thin black line, is red with a white nail and a
large, distinctive yellow knob.
The king eider's foraging strategies change depending on the season.
For much of the year, it is at sea, it dives for benthic invertebrates.
Number 4.
The Baikal teal, also called the bimaculate duck or squawk duck, is a dabbling duck that
breeds in eastern Russia and winters in East Asia.
At between 39 and 43 centimetres (15 and 17 in), this duck is slightly larger and longer-tailed
than the common teal.
The breeding male is unmistakable, with a striking green nape, yellow and black auriculars,
neck, and throat.
He has a dark crown, and his breast is light brown with dark spots.
He also has long dropping dark scapulars, and his grey sides are set off on the front
and rear with white bars.
This duck breeds within the forest zone of eastern Siberia, but migrates wintering in
South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, northern and eastern China.
Number 3.
The harlequin duck inhabits cold fast moving streams in north-western and north-eastern
North America, Greenland, Iceland and eastern Russia.
Adult breeding males have a colorful and complex plumage pattern.
The head and neck are dark slate blue with a large white crescent marking in front of
the eye, a small round dot behind the eye, and a larger oval spot down the side of the
neck.
A black crown stripe runs over the top of the head, with chestnut patches on either
side, along with a black-bordered white collar separates the head from the breast.
These birds feed by swimming under water or diving.
Harlequins have smooth, densely packed feathers that trap a lot of air within them.
This is vital for insulating such small bodies against the chilly waters they ply.
It also makes them exceptionally buoyant, making them bounce like corks after dives.
Number 2.
The wood duck or Carolina duck is a species of perching duck found in North America.
A typical adult is from 47 to 54 cm (19 to 21 in) in length with a wingspan of between
66 to 73 cm (26 to 29 in).
The adult male has distinctive multicolored iridescent plumage and red eyes, with a distinctive
white flare down the neck.
The female however is less colorful, with a white eye-ring and a whitish throat.
The birds are year-round residents in parts of its southern range, but the northern populations
migrate south for the winter.
They feed by walking on land or dabbling, where they search for food from the surface
of the water, as opposed to diving underneath the surface to scavenge for food.
Number 1.
The mandarin duck is a perching duck species native to East Asia.
It is medium-sized, at 41-49 cm (16-19 in) long with a 65-75 cm (26-30 in) wingspan.
The adult male has a red bill, large white crescent above the eye and reddish face and
"whiskers".
The male's breast is purple with two vertical white bars, and the flanks ruddy, along with
two orange "sails" at the back.
The female is similar to the female wood duck, with a white eye-ring and stripe running back
from the eye, but is paler below, has a small white flank stripe, and a pale tip to its
bill.
In the wild, mandarin ducks breed in densely wooded areas near shallow lakes, marshes or
ponds.
These ducks feed by dabbling or walking on land, where they mainly eat plants and seeds,
especially beech mast.
However, this species will also add snails, insects and small fish to its diet, depending
on the season.