Ducks are omnivorous birds that will eat a wide variety of foods, and a varied diet provides good nutrition. Understanding what ducks eat can help birders provide a suitable diet for any ducks that frequent their local ponds or that may even venture into suburban or urban backyards.
Foods Ducks Eat
Wild ducks eat a wide range of foods and they are constantly foraging for meals and snacks. Foods ducks eat include:
- Small fish and fish eggs
- Snails, worms and mollusks
- Small crustaceans
- Grass and weeds
- Algae and aquatic plants
- Frogs, salamanders and other amphibians
- Aquatic and land insects
- Seeds and grain
- Small berries or fruits
In addition to these nutritious foods, some ducks will also eat sand, gravel and small stones to provide grit that aids their digestion.
How a Duck's Diet Varies
While all ducks are regularly omnivorous and will try different foods, the exact diet any duck follows depends on several factors, including:
- Species: Some ducks are specialized for particular types of food, such as mergansers with narrow, toothed bills that eat primarily fish.
- Season: Many ducks will have a diet of mostly insects in spring and summer when insects are most plentiful and provide the best nutrition for growing ducklings. When the seasons change and insects aren't as common, however, the ducks will switch their diet to over available foods.
- Feeding Style: How a duck feeds has a large impact on its diet. Dabbling ducks feed in shallow water and are more likely to have a diet with more aquatic plants and insects, while diving ducks feed deeper in the water and typically eat more fish.
What Ducks Shouldn't Eat
Unfortunately, the food most people associate with ducks – bread – is also one of the worst parts of a duck's diet. Bread is bad for ducks because it lacks any nutritional value for the birds. A diet of mostly bread will cause health problems, and uneaten, rotting bread in the water will foster disease and attract pests and predators. Birders who enjoy feeding ducks should do so only rarely and should offer a range of nutritious foods, such as cracked corn, chopped vegetables and lettuce leaves instead of unhealthy bread.
Ducks are opportunistic eaters that will sample nearly any food, and understanding what ducks eat can help birders keep their local duck habitats healthy and nutritious.
Photo – Feeding Mallard © John Haslam
