What Is A Group Of Ducks Called?

Most people refer to the word ‘duck’ every time we want to mention the animal. Though it is a universal name to call the species, there are different vocabularies than just “those ducks” or “these ducks” to be used on farms. So, what is a group of ducks called? Scroll down to find out!

First, How To Call An Individual Duck?

In our daily conversations, we used the word “duck” to call all of the birds despite their age and gender, but did you know that on farms, the word only refers to the female duck?

Hen is another name you can use for a female duck, which also means a female chicken. A mature male duck is actually called “a drake” and a baby duck is known as “duckling”, in many particular contexts.

Read our related article, What is a Male Mallard Duck Called? for more information on male ducks, what they’re called, and how they compare to female ducks!

What Is A Group Of Ducks Called?

You may have heard of a gaggle of geese, and thought maybe we can say “a gaggle of ducks” because the two birds are quite similar. Well, the information below may surprise you.

A group of ducks can be called in many ways, such as flock, brace, or team. But those words are in fact not to be used interchangeably. Since the group can be either on land, on the water, or in the air, there are quite a few different vocabularies to be used in each specific context.

Read More: How to Pick Up a Pet Duck. Picking a duck up properly can prevent injury to you or the duck. It’s EASY!

1. Ducks on land

You may see a group of ducks foraging on the ground more than often, but you may not know that the group is actually called “a brace”. Other similar words you can also come across are “a badling” or “a flock”.

In some cases, “a brace” can be interpreted as “a pair of ducks”, too

2. Ducks on water

When the group of ducks is floating on the water, people usually call it “a paddling”, quite a straightforward word.

But since the word ‘paddling’ is pronounced quite similarly to ‘badling’, many people get confused with these two. That’s probably why it’s becoming less common.

Better collective nouns for ducks on water are “raft” or “bunch”.

Read More: How Long Can Ducks Survive Without Water? Ducks and water are inseparable, but how long can a duck go without it? (It’s not very long!)

3. Ducks in flight

If you see a group of ducks flying in the sky, typically mallards because they are the most common flying breed, you can call them either “a flock of ducks” or “a plump of ducks”.

Occasionally, people may also call them “a string”, “a skein”, or “a team”.

Read our related article, What is a Flock of Quail Called? where we discuss the common group names for quail and share interesting facts!

How To Call A Group Of Baby Ducks?

Many collective nouns for adult ducks can be applied for the ducklings as well.

Just like the adult, baby ducks that are grouping up and swimming are also called “a raft”. But it isn’t the same case when the group are walking on land, they are now called “a brood”.

How Many Ducks Are In A Flock?

On average, a flock of ducks consists of one male and five female ducks. That means there are usually 6 in a group.

However, this number may change when the ducklings come. Because they tend to follow their mother for food and protection until they are at least 1,5 – 2 months old.

Read More: How Big is a Duck Egg in Inches? We explore the average size and weight of duck eggs and compare them to chicken eggs in this post!

Facts About Duck & Duck Group

Other than a wide range of vocabulary to name them, here are even more fascinating facts about a group of ducks that you may want to know.

Ducks can fly

In the wild, a duck’s flying ability is very important as a survival mechanism, for when they are facing danger or for long-distance migrating trips during winter months. The ducks’ wings and bodies are thus designed for them to fly. Many species even fly at an astonishing height, like the Mallard duck.

Domesticated ducks aren’t flying for a reason

Although some breeds of duck are incapable of flight like the Falkland duck, it isn’t the reason why the ducks that you see today won’t fly much. Yes, we are talking about domesticated ducks.

Ducks that are raised and kept on farms aren’t likely to fly anymore. Two of the reasons can be. First, they don’t need to while living in such an easy and sufficient food availability, danger-free environment. Second, they have probably been bred not to fly.

Read More: How Much Does a Duck Weigh in Pounds? You may be surprised how small (and how BIG) some ducks are!

Ducks are omnivores

Ducks’ diet is actually way more diverse than you think it is. As an omnivore, they feed on both animals and plants. They love to eat aquatic plants like pondweed, widgeon grass, wild celery,… and small animals like fish, worms, and insects.

Read More: How to Catch a Duck Without Hurting It. Whether you own ducks or want to relocate a wild duck from your pond, sometimes it’s necessary to catch a duck. Learn how to do it safely!

Bread isn’t good to feed ducks

Most people and even farmers feed bread to ducks. But the truth is bread doesn’t provide much nutritional value and can just fill up their stomach. It should only hold a small proportion of a healthy, balanced diet for the ducks.

Read More: How Many Eggs Do Ducks Lay Per Year? Discover how many eggs different duck species can lay each day and every year!

“Dabbling ducks”

You already know ducks can float on the water, but do you know that they can dive, too?

When under the water to catch small fish, their chance of success is increased thanks to a comb-like structure in their mouth called pecten. It allows them to catch and hold slippery materials.

Diving ability opens up the duck’s opportunity to find more food, in different conditions, as you know they need a varied diet.

Read More: How Do You Incubate a Duck Egg You Found? We go through every step of incubation to help you raise fluffy ducklings!

“Sea ducks” or “Diving ducks”

Diving ducks are pretty much another name for sea ducks, as they forage by diving deeply into the water.

They stay longer under the water thanks to the weight of their body. That’s why they are generally heavier than their dabbling counterparts.

Read More: How Long Can Diving Ducks Stay Underwater? Here’s how long different diving ducks can stay underwater and the depths they can reach!

“Mallard duck” or “wild ducks”

There are many species of dabbling duck and the most common one is the Mallard, also called Wild duck. They can widely be found in the Americas, Europe, North Africa to Asia. They also have been seen in Australia and New Zealand.

You have probably seen a flock of ducks that have dark green heads, with black rears and blue “speculum” feathers on their wings. Those are male Mallards.

The females don’t have green heads. Instead, they have fairly decorated, brown plumage from head to tail.

Mallards can live for up to 10 years in the wild. A domesticated one may live shorter than its wild friend for 1-2 years.

Did you know: Where do Ducks sleep?

Final Words 

There are a lot, aren’t there? But it just emphasizes the fact that there is a lot to learn about this beautiful animal. We hope by now the question “How to call a group of ducks?” is no longer difficult for you to answer.

Don’t forget to share if you have other answers of your own. Thanks for reading!