American Black Duck - Learn a Bird - Episode #45

Ducks don't get a ton of respect. The American Black Duck is no exception.
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Learn how to ID a black duck here: www.allaboutbi....
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The term I was looking for about keeping their feet warm was "Countercurrent heat exchange" - learn about it here: www.allaboutbi...
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Black ducks are dabblers - that means they don't dive underwater to procure food, but instead, they tip over, stick their rump in the air and reach to the bottom with their bills to grab and consume plants and invertebrates from under water.
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The American Black Duck has had a ROUGH road over the past 150 years - mostly from people being greedy and not in touch with the balance of wildlife populations. However, in the recent past, the efforts of duck conservation groups, as well as state, federal and private conservation efforts have helped the black duck stabilize it's population.