Diet & feeding
Omnivorous — seeds, aquatic plants, insects, snails, amphibians and even small fish, often up-ending in shallow water.
Dabbling (tips up, tail in the air)
Medium (mallard-sized, 45–55 cm)
Habitat
Almost anywhere with water: park ponds, lakes, rivers, estuaries, flooded fields and city canals.
Breeding
Nests on the ground near water, often hidden in reeds. Ducklings leap from the nest within a day of hatching.
Migration
Largely sedentary; northern European birds boost the population in winter.
Vocalisation
The classic female "quack"; males give a softer, rasping call.
