When Up Is Down – Why Some Ducks Tip Upside Down In Water

I’ve been bird watching well over 40 years now, and ducks were some of the first birds that gathered my interest back in the day.

I guess that stems from my dad taking me on my first real birding trip, a summertime excursion to Farmington Bay WMA many years ago when I was just a young lad.

That very day will forever be engraved inside me as my father and I casually walked down a gravel road, binoculars firmly in hand, from what is now called Goose Egg Island to a distant parking lot, accompanied only by a bird-covered wetland on one side and the nearby Great Salt Lake lapping at the road’s edge on the other.

You see, Farmington Bay WMA is a state-managed wetland nature preserve that attracts thousands upon thousands of ducks and geese each year, so naturally, one of the first birds I was destined to see as a budding young bird watcher would, in fact, be ducks.

It only stands to reason since that very day I would take a keen interest in ducks ever since, and I most certainly have, if truth be told.

Suffice it to say, when my interest in nature catches a spark like it did on that particular day, I try and learn all I can, which is what I did over the years as my interest in waterfowl began to grow.

And one of the peculiarities I first learned regarding waterfowl way back then is why some ducks tip upside down in the water.

Why do ducks tip upside down?

Simply put, ducks tip upside down to feed in the shallow waters of wetland habitats, allowing them to reach and feast upon both aquatic plants and invertebrates lurking not far underneath the water’s surface.

This unique feeding behavior often referred to as dabbling, is quite common in what is known as puddle ducks, or ducks that tip up to feed.

What ducks feed by dabbling or tipping up?

Ducks are commonly classified into two groups, diver ducks and puddle ducks.

Diver ducks are just what their name refers to, ducks that dive deep under the water to reach otherwise inaccessible aquatic plants, invertebrates, and even small fish at times.

Puddle ducks, on the other hand, feed by dabbling or tipping up in shallow water and include the northern pintail, Gadwall, American widgeon, blue-winged teal, cinnamon teal, green-winged teal, mallard, northern shoveler, wood duck, mottled duck, and Eurasian widgeon.

One fact about puddle ducks not widely known is they can actually dive under the water, mind you, but not to feed and mostly just under the water’s surface to evade predators when necessary.

Unlike the diver duck species where their legs are set further back on the body and more useful for propelling when underwater, puddle ducks legs are set further forward on the duck’s body so diving doesn’t come as easy.

Why do some ducks swim with their bills in the water?

Many ducks will feed on the water’s surface, and swim with their bills in the water to help scoop up seeds and small invertebrates on the surface of the water.

Puddle ducks are quite often seen swimming and scooping up food as they go.

What do puddle ducks eat?

Puddle ducks, like the mallard, for example, eat grasses, aquatic plants, small invertebrates, and some grains when they are available.

Most of their food is either on the water’s surface or within reach just under the surface as they tip up and dabble along the bottom of the pond.

So if you are out and about watching ducks at a favorite pond wildlife preserve, keep an eye out for ducks tipping up to feed.

It’s an interesting feeding behavior that is common to puddle ducks that feed in the shallow waters.

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