Directions: Print out the animal picture and color. Cut out the pictures by cutting on the solid lines and dotted lines. Assemble the picture by connecting each end of the base piece with double-sided or scotch tape so the picture stands up. Print out the page with the poem and the facts and place it in your own poem book. Illustrate the poem. Write your own story or poem and add it to your poem book.

Duck Facts.

A duck is a wild or domesticated waterfowl, or a bird that swims. It belongs to the family Anatidae. It is related to the goose and swan but is smaller. Wild ducks are the leading game birds. On the North American continent there are over 40 different species of wild duck. There are many varieties of ducks, including River ducks (such as the Mallard), Mergansers (or sawbills, long-bodied ducks with rough-edged bills who feed on fish), Wild ducks, Wood ducks, Black ducks, the Scaup (a diving duck), and Domesticated ducks (the white Aylesbury and the white Pekin are the most popular table ducks, and the Eider duck, valuable for its down which is used in pillows and bedding). Some ducks live near the sea or some large body of fresh water. A female is called a duck, a male is called a drake, and a young duck is called a duckling. Many ducks have colorful feathers. The drake is usually brighter in color while the female is drab for protective coloration. Ducks have heavy bodies, short legs, webbed feet and broad, flattened beaks.

Ducks have thick feathers with an undercoat of down to protect their bodies from becoming wet or losing heat. They continually groom (preen) and restore the oil to their feathers from a gland right in front of the tail. This also protects them from the water and cold.

Ducks eat water plants, insects, crustaceans, shellfish, frogs, and fish, depending upon the species. When feeding in the water, a sifting device in the bill separates food from water and mud.

Ducks live in large flocks and migrate south in the fall. Most ducks are good swimmers and divers. In the spring females grow special down feathers which they pull out from the breast to insulate the nest and cover the eggs. As soon as the hatched ducklings can walk, the mother duck leads them to the water. They can swim immediately but cannot fly until they are 6 weeks old or more, when their wings are stronger.

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