What is a waterfowl?
Waterfowl are birds that spend most of time in or near water. These birds are perfectly adapted to living in watery environments, with features that help them swim, dive, and find food in lakes, rivers, and wetlands.
What are some common types of waterfowl?
Some common types of waterfowl include ducks, geese, heron and swans.
What adaptions do waterfowl have that help them survive?
Waterfowl are excellent swimmers. They often have webbed feet, which act like paddles. When they swim, their feet push against the water, helping them move quickly and smoothly.
Have you ever wondered how waterfowl stay dry even though they spend so much time in the water? Their feathers are coated with a special oil that makes them waterproof. This oily coating keeps water from soaking into their feathers, so they stay warm and dry even on the coldest days.
Waterfowl have many different ways of finding food. Ducks often “dabble” by tipping forward in the water to reach plants and insects below the surface. Geese usually graze on grass, while swans use their long necks to reach underwater plants. Some waterfowl, like diving ducks, can even dive deep underwater to catch fish!