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We’ve had quite a few questions regarding whether or not we can actually tell the ducks apart. It’s a good point - the ducks do look incredibly similar! The answer is yes, to some extent (and often only with concentration). The ducks that we have named are distinctive in their appearance, which makes them easily recognisable, and we can point these ducks out when we’re at the lake. But sometimes we meet a duck, and are unable to recognise them again.
You don’t have to tell the ducks apart to appreciate their amazingness, but it is nice when you can! The key is to look closely at each new duck that you meet - look at their colouring and try to find any unique markings that they may have. Taking photos from various angles helps too, and can go a long way to identifying a duck. They look similar to us, but look closely enough and you can see their differences.
Take Ophelia. She is distinctly coloured: dark, with a patch of white on her front. Interestingly, this suggests that she may be a hybrid - a mallard crossed with another type of duck (for more information on duck hybrids check out Ducks Unlimited’s Waterfowl Hybrids page).
Mercutio is also easy to identify. Unlike most mallards, his chest is more grey than brown. As far as we know, he is the only duck at the lake with this distinctive feature. Our recognition of him is also aided by his pairing with Miranda, a distinctively dark coloured duck. They have been together since they were first named back in December, so if you see these together you know who they are. As far as Miranda and Mercurio are concerned, they are recognisable by their behaviour. They’re the ones pushing other ducks out of the way in an attempt to reach the humans with food!
Of course, things will get tricky now that mating season is nearly over. The familiar pairs will gradually separate as the eggs are laid, and the males will all join together to form a big group. Then comes the really frustrating bit for those of us who want to know who’s who: the summer moult. Moulting is the process of shedding old feathers to make room for a new growth. In this time, the ducks lose almost all of their down feathers, only to re-grow them once more. Unfortunately most people won’t be at the university to see this exciting sight, but we look forward to seeing all of their brand new coats in autumn!
If you do manage to recognise and name a duck, we’d love to know. Send us a picture and we can add them to our page!