Fall Asleep While Learning About Ducks

In this episode of the I Can't Sleep Podcast, fall asleep while learning about ducks. We cover everything you need to know about ducks—from their diverse species and natural habitats to their unique behaviors and role in ecosystems. Whether you’re curious about how ducks communicate, migrate, or thrive in different environments, this episode provides a clear and thorough exploration of these waterfowl. Perfect for nature enthusiasts, bird watchers, or anyone looking to understand ducks better. Tune in and expand your knowledge of one of nature’s most recognizable and remarkable birds, if you can stay awake that long. Happy sleeping!

Transcript

Welcome to the I Can't Sleep podcast,

Where I read random articles from across the web to bore you to sleep with my soothing voice.

I'm your host,

Benjamin Boster.

Today's episode is from a Wikipedia article titled,

Duck.

Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae.

Ducks are generally smaller and short-necked than swans and geese,

Which are members of the same family.

Divided among several sub-families,

They are a form taxon.

They do not represent a monophyletic group since swans and geese are not considered ducks.

Ducks are mostly aquatic birds,

And may be found in both freshwater and seawater.

Ducks are sometimes confused with several types of unrelated water birds with similar forms,

Such as loons or divers,

Grebes,

Galanules,

And coods.

The word duck comes from Old English duke-a-diver,

A derivative of the verb duken,

To duck,

Bend down low as if to get under something or dive.

Because of the way many species of the dabbling duck group feed by upending,

Compare with Dutch duken and German tauchen to dive.

This word replaced Old English enid,

Enid,

Duck,

Possibly to avoid confusion with other words,

Such as endi,

End,

With similar forms.

Other Germanic languages still have similar words for duck.

For example,

Dutch eind,

German ende,

And Norwegian and.

The word enid was inherited from Proto-Indo-European,

Latin anas,

Duck,

Lithuanian antis,

Duck,

Ancient Greek nesa,

Duck,

And Sanskrit adi,

Water bird,

Among others.

A duckling is a young duck in downy plumage,

Or baby duck.

A male is called a drake,

And the female is called a duck,

Or in ornithology,

A hen.

The overall body plan of ducks is elongated and broad,

And they are also relatively long-necked,

Albeit not as long-necked as the geese and swans.

The body shape of diving ducks varies somewhat from this in being more rounded.

The bill is usually broad and contains serrated pectins,

Which are particularly well-defined in the filter-feeding species.

In the case of some fishing species,

The bill is long and strongly serrated.

The scaled legs are strong and well-developed,

And generally set far back on the body,

More so in the highly aquatic species.

The wings are very strong and are generally short and pointed,

And the flight of ducks requires fast,

Continuous strokes,

Requiring,

In turn,

Strong wing muscles.

Three-striped legs are generally long and well-developed,

Strong wing muscles.

Three species of steamer duck are almost flightless,

However.

Many species of duck are temporarily flightless while molting.

They seek out protected habitat with good food supplies during this period.

This molt typically precedes migration.

The drakes of northern species often have extravagant plumage,

But that is molted in summer to give a more female-like appearance,

The eclipse plumage.

Southern resident species typically show less sexual dimorphism,

Although there are exceptions,

Such as the paradise shell duck of New Zealand,

Which is both strikingly sexually dimorphic and in which the female's plumage is brighter than that of the male.

The plumage of juvenile birds generally resembles that of the female.

Ducks have a cosmopolitan distribution and are found on every continent except Antarctica.

Several species manage to live on sub-Antarctic islands,

Including South Georgia and the Auckland Islands.

Ducks have reached a number of isolated oceanic islands,

Including the Hawaiian Islands,

Micronesia,

And the Galapagos Islands,

Where they are often vagrants and less often residents.

A handful are endemic to such far-flung islands.

Some duck species,

Mainly those breeding in the temperate and arctic northern hemisphere,

Some duck species,

Mainly those breeding in the temperate and arctic northern hemisphere,

Are migratory.

Those in the tropics are generally not.

Some ducks,

Particularly in Australia where rainfall is erratic,

Are nomadic,

Seeking out the temporary lakes and pools that form after localized heavy rain.

Ducks eat food sources such as grasses,

Aquatic plants,

Fish,

Insects,

Small amphibians,

Worms,

And small mollusks.

Dabbling ducks feed on the surface of water or on land,

Or as deep as they can reach by upending without completely submerging.

Along the edge of the bill there is a comb-like structure called a pectin.

This drains the water squirting from the side of the bill and traps any food.

The pectin is also used to preen feathers and to hold slippery food items.

Diving ducks and sea ducks forage deep underwater.

To be able to submerge more easily,

The diving ducks are heavier than dabbling ducks and therefore have more difficulty taking off to fly.

A few specialized species,

Such as the mergansers,

Are adapted to catch and swallow large fish.

The others have the characteristic wide,

Flat bill and a large,

Flat belly.

The others have the characteristic wide,

Flat bill adapted to dredging-type jobs,

Such as pulling up waterweed,

Pulling worms and small mollusks out of the mud,

Searching for insect larvae,

And bulk jobs such as dredging out,

Holding,

And turning headfirst.

To avoid injury when digging into sediment,

It has no sear,

But the nostrils come out through hard horn.

The Guardian published an article advising that ducks should not be fed with bread because it damages the health of the ducks and pollutes waterways.

Female mallard ducks make the classic quack sound,

While males make a similar but raspier sound that is sometimes written as breeze.

But despite widespread misconceptions,

Most species of duck do not quack.

In general,

Ducks make a range of calls,

Including whistles,

Cooing,

Yodels,

And grunts.

For example,

The scop,

Which are diving ducks,

Make a noise like scop,

Hence their name.

Calls may be loud displaying calls or quieter contact calls.

A common urban legend claims that duck quacks do not echo.

However,

This has been proven to be false.

This myth was first debunked by the Acoustics Research Center at the University of Salford in 2003 as part of the British Association's Festival of Science.

It was also debunked in one of the earlier episodes of the popular Discovery Channel television show Mythbusters.

Ducks appear on several coats of arms,

Including the coat of arms of Ljubena,

Latvia,

And the coat of arms of Foglo,

Åland,

And the coat of arms of Føgla,

Åland.

In 2002,

Psychologist Richard Wiseman and colleagues at the University of Hertfordshire,

UK finished a year-long Laugh Lab experiment,

Concluding,

Of all animals,

Ducks attract the most humor and silliness.

He said,

If you're going to tell a joke involving an animal,

Make it a duck.

The word duck may have become an inherently funny word in many languages,

Possibly because ducks are seen as silly in their looks or behavior.

Of the many ducks in fiction,

Many are cartoon characters,

Such as Walt Disney's Donald Duck and Warner Brothers' Daffy Duck.

Howard the Duck started as a comic book character in 1973 and was made into a movie in 1986.

The 1992 Disney film The Mighty Duck The 1992 Disney film The Mighty Duck,

Starring Emilio Estevez,

Chose the duck as the mascot for the fictional youth hockey team,

Who are protagonists of the movie,

Based on the duck being described as a fierce fighter.

This led to the duck becoming the nickname and mascot for the eventual National Hockey League professional team of the Anaheim Ducks,

Who were founded with the name The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

The duck is also the nickname of the University of Oregon sports team,

As well as the Long Island Ducks minor league baseball team.

A rubber duck or a rubber ducky is a toy shaped like a duck that is usually yellow with a flat base.

It may be made of rubber or rubber-like material,

Such as vinyl plastic.

Rubber ducks were invented in the late 1800s when it became possible to more easily shape rubber and are believed to improve developmental skills in children during water play.

The yellow rubber duck has achieved an iconic status in western pop culture and is often symbolically linked to bathing.

Various novelty variations of the toy are produced,

And many organizations use yellow rubber ducks in rubber duck races for fundraising worldwide.

The history of the rubber duck is linked to the emergence of rubber manufacturing in the late 19th century.

The earliest rubber ducks were made from harder rubber when manufacturers began using Charles Goodyear's invention,

Vulcanized rubber.

Consequently,

These solid rubber ducks were not capable of floating and were instead intended as chew toys.

Sculptor Peter Ganning created a sculpture of a duck in the 1940s.

He then patented it and reproduced it as a floating toy,

Of which over 50 million were sold.

Besides the ubiquitous yellow rubber duck with which most people are familiar,

There have been numerous novelty variations on the basic theme,

Including character ducks representing professions,

Politicians,

Or celebrities,

A concept introduced by Mark Bolt's Rubber Ducks.

There are also ducks that glow in the dark,

Quack,

Change color,

Have interior LED illumination,

Or include a wind-up mechanism that enables them to swim.

In 2001,

The Sun,

A British tabloid,

Reported that Queen Elizabeth II had a rubber duck in her bathroom that wore an inflatable crown.

The duck was spotted by a workman who was repainting her bathroom.

The story prompted sales of rubber ducks in the United Kingdom to increase by 80% for a short period.

Rubber ducks are collected by enthusiasts.

The 2011 Guinness World Record for World's Largest Rubber Duck Collection stood at 5,

631 different rubber ducks and was awarded to Charlotte Lee.

In 2013,

The rubber duck was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame,

A museum in Rochester,

New York,

Along with the Game of Chess.

Toys are selected based on factors like icon status,

Longevity,

And innovation.

Ernie,

A popular Muppet from the television series Sesame Street,

Has performed the song Rubber Ducky multiple times since the series began.

Ernie frequently spoke to his duck and carried it with him in other segments of the show.

On a special occasion,

Little Richard performed the song.

C.

E.

W.

McCall's hit song Convoy,

And the movie and novel it inspired,

Are narrated from the viewpoint of a character who replaced the bulldog hood ornament on his Mack truck with a bathtub toy and used the on-air handle of Rubber Duck.

The Akron Rubber Ducks Minor League Baseball team,

Formerly known as the Arrows,

Officially adopted the nickname on October 29,

2013.

The nickname pays tribute to the city's history in the rubber industry,

Particularly as the birthplace of companies such as Goodyear,

Firestone,

B.

F.

Goodrich,

And General Tire.

The world's largest rubber duck was created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hoffman in 2007.

Measuring 16.

5 meters by 20 meters by 32 meters,

And weighing about 600 kilograms.

Since 2007,

Several ducks of various sizes created by Hoffman have been on display in countries and territories,

Such as Amsterdam,

Netherlands,

Lommel,

Belgium,

Osaka,

Japan,

Sydney,

Australia,

Sao Paulo,

Brazil,

Hong Kong,

China,

Kaohsiung,

Taiwan,

And Seoul,

Korea,

Until 14th of November,

2014,

And went on display in the United States after the 20th of October,

2013.

Rubber duck races,

Also known as derby duck races,

Have been used as a message to the People donate money to the organization by sponsoring a duck.

At the end of the fundraising drive,

All the ducks are dumped into a waterway,

With the first to float past the finish line winning a prize for its sponsor.

There are hundreds of races held in the United States and internationally.

The largest race in the United States is the annual free-store food bank Rubber Duck Regatta in Cincinnati,

Ohio.

First run in 1995,

The Rubber Duck Regatta now features over 150,

000 ducks raced to raise money for the organization.

The first race is held in the United States,

And the largest race in the United States is the annual free-store food bank Rubber Duck Regatta in Cincinnati,

Ohio.

First run in 1995,

The Rubber Duck Regatta now features over 150,

000 ducks raced to raise money for the organization.

Since its beginning in 1995,

The Rubber Duck Regatta in Cincinnati,

Ohio has raised over $9 million,

And over $1 million has been raised for each year's race since 2014.

The annual Aspen Ducky Derby was first run by the Rotary Club of Aspen,

Colorado in 1991.

The derby now features 30,

000 ducks,

And takes place each August in Aspen's Rio Grande Park.

Through its past 20 years,

The Aspen Ducky Derby has raised more than $2.

3 million to benefit 65 non-profit groups.

In Fort Wayne,

Indiana,

For over 30 years,

The Wigan Construction Duck Race takes place in the summer at Johnny Appleseed Park to support the organization SCAN,

Whose mission is to eliminate the abuse and neglect of children in Northeast Indiana through family services,

Education,

And community partnerships.

One of the more famous Rubber Duck Races is the Great Knoxville Rubber Duck Race.

This race received attention when the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that it was a lottery,

Which stopped the race for a few years.

After the state amended its constitution to allow the race to continue,

The race was reinstituted.

The Derby Duck Race sees over 40,

000 ducks race to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Tennessee Valley.

A famous Rubber Duck Race is the Halifax Duck Derby.

This race is the first of its kind in the state.

The Derby Duck Race is the first of its kind in the state.

This race is the first of its kind in the state.

A famous Rubber Duck Race is the Halifax Duck Derby.

This race has 10,

000 rubber ducks in the Halifax Harbor along Bishop's Landing.

There is a grand prize of one million Canadian dollars.

Other prizes include a trip to anywhere in Canada,

Large screen TVs,

And more.

This race has been very successful in raising money and awareness for its organizations.

The Lumsden Duck Derby is a Labor Day tradition in the town of Lumsden,

Saskatchewan.

Founded in 1988 to help the town raise funds for a new ice rink,

Nowadays the Derby races 25,

000 rubber ducks down a stretch of the Cupbell River nowadays the Derby races 25,

000 rubber ducks down a stretch of the Cupbell River and features a grand prize of one million Canadian dollars.

The town makes a day out of it with a pancake breakfast,

Bands and other entertainments,

Kids activities,

And a parade to the post.

The Estes Park Rotary Duck Race raises money for 68 different charities.

Contestants must choose which charity to donate their money to when they buy their ticket.

The Great Brisbane Duck Race is held on the Brisbane River each year to raise funds for the PA Research Foundation.

The 100-meter race saw 30,

000 rubber ducks enter the race in 2011.

The PA Research Foundation also holds a Team Duck Race Challenge where groups are invited to raise funds and participate in either the motorized or non-motorized team duck race.

With a large 26-centimeter tall rubber duck the teams can decorate,

Brand,

And modify.

One other race was conducted in Australia in January 1988.

It was run from the high-level bridge to the low-level bridge near Catherine Northern Territory on the Australia Day long weekend.

Acting on behalf of the town's Bicentennial Committee,

Australian Air Force Officers Andrew Cairns and Jock McGowan constructed the release cage from PVC pipe,

Purchased and numbered the ducks,

Printed tickets,

And even arranged a helicopter flypast.

In Stockbridge,

Edinburgh since 1988,

The Stockbridge Community Festival has held the annual Stockbridge Duck Race to raise money for local charities.

1,

000 rubber ducks are released into the water of Leith at the Stockbridge to float downstream to the finishing post at the Falshaw Bridge.

The 2010 race was memorable for a sudden rain shower at the finish line.

The 2011 race was held on the 3rd of July with proceeds going to local charities Stockbridge House and St.

Columbus Hospice.

For over 25 years,

Bybury and Gloucestershire has hosted an annual duck race on Boxing Day.

The charity event,

Which attracts thousands of spectators,

Is split into two races,

One featuring the iconic yellow ducks,

The other featuring the more realistic decoy ducks,

Both held on the River Colne.

In 2008,

The Great British Duck Race was held near Hampton Court Palace in London.

The race broke the world record for the number of ducks used together with a total of 250,

000.

The ducks used in the race were a bright blue color after stewards in the previous year faced problems from spectators throwing their own ducks into the water.

One race was organized in Glenridding by the local mountain rescue team to raise funds.

Another is the Manchester Duck Race,

Held at Spinning Fields on the River Errol each Good Friday with several thousand ducks.

Every July,

A charity race called Enton Cup is held in Nuremberg.

The beneficiary changes each time,

Among them the Nuremberg Zoo.

During a Pacific storm on the 10th of January 1992,

Three 40-foot containers holding 28,

800 friendly floaties,

Plastic bathtub toys from a Chinese factory were washed off a ship,

Containing 7,

200 each of blue turtles,

Yellow ducks,

Red beavers,

And green frogs.

Two-thirds of the toys floated south and landed three months later on the shores of Asia,

Australia,

And South America.

The remaining 10,

000 toys headed north to Alaska and then completed a full circle back near Japan,

Caught up in the same North Pacific gyre current as the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Many of the toys then entered the Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia and were trapped in the Arctic ice.

The total weight of the toys was 1,

000 tons per mile per day,

And in 2000 they were sighted in the North Atlantic.

The movement of the toys had been monitored by American oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer.

Bleached by sun and seawater,

The ducks and beavers have faded to white,

But the turtles and frogs had kept their original colors.

Between July and December 2003,

The World Bank offered a $100 savings bond reward to anybody who recovered a floatie in New England,

Canada,

Or Iceland.

More of the toys were recovered in 2004 than in any of the preceding three years.

However,

Still more of these toys were predicted to have headed eastward past Greenland and make landfall on the southwestern shores of the United Kingdom in 2007.

These toys were the subject of Donovan Hahn's 2011 book Moby Duck,

The true story of 28,

800 bath toys lost at sea.

In August 2008,

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory undertook studies of Greenland's Jakobshavn Glacier to determine how interior glacial melt flow during the summer influenced its movement.

A sophisticated football-sized probe that had a GPS device,

Pressure sensor,

Thermometer,

And accelerometer was lowered by a robe into one of the glacier's moulins.

The probe's equipment was designed to find structures such as waterfalls inside the ice.

Unfortunately,

The probe went silent,

So 90 rubber ducks marked in English,

Danish,

And Inuit,

With the text science experiment and reward,

Along with an email address to contact if found,

Were also put into the moulins and it was hoped that the ducks would eventually exit and be found by hunters or fishermen around Baffin Bay.

As of 2012,

None of the ducks were found or returned,

Possibly due to being trapped in large aquifers later discovered inside the ice.

Reviews

Interesting but a little too short for me trying to sleep.

I’m always hesitant to listen to anything about animals (worried I’ll hear something sad). I thought this was safe until I woke up near the end and heard something about missing ducks. 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️
As always though, your voice is very soothing and helps me to fall asleep! 🤗🤗🤗🤗

Edited: Thanks for letting me know they were rubber ducks! 😂😂😂🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️😆😆😁😁😂😂😂

Fantastic as always!! Thanks Ben! Out like a light 😴