One Day My Duck Will Come... Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mallard

Mallards can be found across most areas of the northern hemisphere and are also common in Australia and New Zealand where the species has been introduced. They are usually found on inland waterways but will also inhabit shallow coastal waters. Mallards are the wild ancestors of the majority of domestic duck breeds that are kept for their eggs or meat. Aylesbury ducks, golden cascades and magpie ducks are all domestic duck breeds.

The female mallard advertising here doesn't generally like watching films (including 'Trainspotting') due to the unfortunate consequences that can occur when attempting to install electricity supplies in riverside nests. She is actually looking for a mate who shares her appreciation of Sir Nigel Gresley's famous 'Mallard' which broke the world speed record for steam engines in 1938.

Answer: Goosander

The goosander (otherwise known as the common merganser in North America) is a large fish-eating duck. It is also colloquially known as a 'sawbill' due to the serrated edges on its bill, which helps the bird to hang onto its catch after a fishing trip!

Many male ducks revert to a duller plumage known as 'eclipse plumage' outside of the breeding season. This is because they have moulted their flight feathers and keeping the striking plumage they display during the breeding season would make them an easy target for predators (or 'sitting ducks')! In the case of the male goosander this means a generally grey plumage very similar to that displayed by the females.

This particular advert needed to be edited further for the second edition of 'Quizzical Duck Dating' after a gaggle of confused geese responded to the advert. The goosander is most definitely a duck, as are the Egyptian goose and Orinoco goose. The solan goose however is a species of gannet.

Answer: Common goldeneye

Female common goldeneyes have predominantly grey plumage with striking brown head-feathers as opposed to the predominantly white body feathers displayed by the males. Both sexes however can be easily identified by the yellow eyes that give the species its name. They are diving ducks which feed underwater on a mix of small crustaceans, molluscs and insects, but make their nests away from the water in natural hollows in trees - or occasionally a cosy spot created by a woodpecker.

'GoldenEye' is a 1995 film featuring Pierce Brosnan as Ian Fleming's famous spy, James Bond. It's probably best not to think too hard about how this common goldeneye managed to install a television in her hole in a tree.

The incorrect options all incorporate the name of a film from the James Bond movie franchise, but are definitely not ducks!

Answer: Redhead

This female redhead is searching for a mate with striking red head-feathers. The term 'ginger' is used colloquially (and sometimes in a derogatory sense) to describe people with red hair.

Redheads are native to North America. They are a migratory species which breed annually in marshland in western areas of the USA before returning east or south for the winter. Areas with significant populations of redheads in the winter months include the southern USA, northern Mexico and the Great Lakes region. The males have distinctive brownish-red head feathers (hence the name), grey wings and a black breast. They also have a blue bill.

The greater scaup, southern pochard and falcated teal are all species of duck where the male has dark or black head feathers.

Answer: Northern shoveler

The northern shoveler (Anas clypeata) has similarly coloured plumage to the mallard but can be easily distinguished by the size and shape of its bill, which is quite wide and flat and looks a bit like a spatula. They use their bill to strain food from the water, including both plant matter and small crustaceans and plankton. Despite their somewhat ungainly appearance they are strong fliers, capable of migrating long distances from their breeding grounds in Europe, northern Asia and North America to their winter homes in southern Europe, Africa, south-east Asia and South America.

This male northern shoveler advertising in 'Quizzical Duck Dating' has obviously recently split up with his partner as it is the female northern shoveler that builds the nest! At least whoever answers this advert will have been saved a lot of hard work...

The incorrect options are definitely not types of duck but you might find them all at your local DIY store (a dibber is a tool used to make a hole in the earth in order to plant small seedlings or bulbs).

Answer: Mandarin duck

Mandarin ducks are native to eastern Asia but, following years of habitat destruction, they are now mainly restricted to China, Russia and Japan. The striking plumage of the male mandarin duck (an interesting mix of white, purple, green, red and orange feathers) probably explains the number of private and public collections of this species that developed in Europe, which ultimately led to new populations descended from escapees.

Mandarin Chinese is the most commonly spoken language in the world when all its dialects are considered together. In China, mandarin speakers are concentrated in the north of the country, including the area around the capital city, Beijing.

The term 'mandarin' is also used to refer to high-ranking government officials (originally those working for the Chinese Empire) and a type of small citrus fruit. Satsumas, minneolas and tangelos are also citrus fruits.

Answer: Canvasback

Canvasbacks have relatively long necks for ducks and a large bill that gives their head a wedge-shaped appearance. As with most duck species, male canvasbacks have more eye-catching plumage than the females with a black rump and tail, grey wings and chestnut head and neck feathers. The name 'canvasback' was given to the bird by early European settlers in North America who believed the males' feathers resembled the colour of canvas. The Latin name 'valisineria' comes from a plant of the same name that is a commonly eaten by the canvasback.

Like many other species of duck, canvasbacks usually choose a new mate every year. So they should be good repeat customers for the service of 'Quizzical Duck Dating'!

The incorrect options are all species of duck, but do not have red eyes and none are native to North America. Despite its name the South Georgia pintail is not from the Atlanta area, but from the southern Atlantic island of South Georgia.

Answer: Hardhead

Hardhead ducks have predominantly brown plumage with the males and females having very similar appearances. They are also known as 'white-eyed ducks', although only the male has the distinctive white eyes. They are most commonly found in Australia (particularly the south-east area around the Murray-Darling river) but populations also exist in surrounding nations. Hardheads spend the majority of their time on the water and are diving ducks who feed underwater on aquatic creatures and water weed.

The term 'hard-headed' has two common definitions. It can be used to refer to someone (or 'some duck') who is stubborn and unwilling to alter their opinions, or can alternatively mean someone who takes a pragmatic view of decisions, for example choosing the realistic and practical option rather than letting their heart rule their head.

The incorrect options are all species of diving duck but none are native to Australia.

Answer: Spectacled duck

One of the quotes for which American writer and poet Dorothy Parker is remembered is: "Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses". It is no surprise then that a female spectacled duck would not want to bother with potential mates who agreed with that opinion.

The spectacled duck gets its name from the distinctive white patch just under its eye. They are also known as the bronze-winged duck, which reflects the bronze coloured speculum displayed by both the males and females. A speculum is a patch of brightly coloured flight feathers on a bird's wing. Yet another name sometimes used for this species is the 'dog-duck' - this comes from the barking sound made by the female and does not imply that spectacled ducks are any good at chasing balls, sticks or their own tails...

The incorrect options are all species of duck native to Africa.

Answer: Common eider

The common eider is a sea-duck whose main diet consists of aquatic crustaceans and molluscs, particularly mussels. They nest on coastal islands off Europe, North America and Siberia. The fact that many of these breeding grounds are in the Arctic region probably explains why they evolved very soft, warm down that has become a favourite filling for pillows around the world. The female birds pluck the down from their own bodies in order to line their nests.

The common eider is one of four types of eider ducks whose feathers are gathered for stuffing pillows and 'eiderdowns'. This is usually done with no harm to the birds as the feathers are collected once any ducklings have left the nest.

The incorrect options are other species of sea-dwelling ducks.