![]() Sometimes a group will get together and have a loud “conversation” but this is an exception rather than the rule. Muscovy ducks are considered the quietest of the domestic ducks, and don’t really have a loud quack like the other domestic breeds do. Some of the Runner duck breeds can be somewhat more quiet but this seems to more of a case-by-case basis than a generalization of the breed. The Call duck and Pekin duck are known as the loudest of the bunch. The breeds of domestic ducks that come from Mallards can all be fairly noisy especially a large group of females. ![]() Here’s a link to Cornell Lab of Ornithology for actual wild duck sounds. It’s been my observation that they are noisiest in during the spring mating season and again as they start flocking together for the south migration in the fall. Wild ducks in general are much quieter than domestic ducks which is most likely due to their natural instinct to not draw attention from predators. The exception to this is the Muscovy duck which isn’t really a true duck but a very close relative. Nearly all breeds of domestic ducks originated from the wild Mallard duck. The research paper suggested that the tracheal membranes in the male are thicker due to the formation of the syringeal bulla and therefore cause the difference in vocalization. Male and Female Harlequin Duck Syrinx – Wikipedia Commons – Public DomainĪlthough I couldn’t find a definitive answer as to why the female duck can quack but a male duck cannot, it seems that the large chamber on the male’s syrinx doesn’t allow for the drake to make the same loud quack as the hen. Here’s a link to a research paper by Reda Mohamed that dives pretty deep in to those anatomical differences. The female duck has this same symmetrical syrinx as songbirds do, but the male duck has large hollow chamber on the left side of the syrinx called the syringeal bulla. Instead of a larynx like we have, birds including ducks have a syrinx located were the windpipe splits to go into each lung.īecause the syrinx is located at this split, it allows some songbirds to produce two notes at the same time which results in the the amazing songs they can produce. In humans we vocalize with help from our Larynx sometimes referred to as a voice-box. Read on for more details on this difference and other information regarding duck quacks. This is due to an actual physical difference between drakes and hens. The drakes sound is more of a whisper than the hen. Male ducks don’t produce that loud quack but rather they make a softer rasping or wheezing sound. But have you ever wondered if that quack is coming from the drakes (males) or hens (females)? Or you thought that the voices of the drakes and hens are indistinguishable.Īs it turns out the traditional duck quack is only made by the female duck. We have all all heard the recognizable quack of a duck whether it’s in the wild or on the homestead.
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