05/22/2026
It's the fourth and final day of Duck Days! Today we're taking a look at Duck Doppelgängers -- water birds that bear varying degrees of resemblance to ducks.
Did you know...
🎬Hollywood loves the mournful wail of the Common Loon. This haunting call, which loons use to locate their mates and family members, can unsettle movie audiences--or just immerse them into the great outdoors!
🫣Loons are very clumsy on land due to their solid, dense bones. While most birds have highly pneumatic (“hollow”) bones connected to air sacs, loons are built to overcome buoyancy so that they can pursue fish as deep as 200 feet!
🪶Cormorants' feathers are not waterproof! They become waterlogged by design, which allows the cormorant to dive deeper and faster! Depending on species, cormorants can dive from 25 to 150 feet!
🔆Because cormorants' feathers are not waterproof, you'll often see them with their wings spread as their feathers dry in the sun. This is important for temperature regulation and flight.
💘The Great Crested Grebe (a bird most abundant in Europe) does an extravagant mating dance! It is one of the most elaborate courtship dances of any bird. We'll link it!
🐣Great Crested Grebe chicks frequently ride on their parents’ backs, sometimes tucked under a wing for warmth and safety.
📏The Little Grebe (found in Europe, Asia, and Africa) is only 9 to 11 inches long, making it the smallest grebe.
🪺Little Grebes can build floating nests anchored to reeds.
🐓When viewed out of the water, the Eurasian Coot looks like a cross between a chicken and a duck. They belong to the avian family Rallidae, which comprises rails, crakes, and coots.
🤡COOTS HAVE CLOWN FEET! All coots have lobed feet. Instead of continuous webbing, each toe has individual paddle-like flaps of skin. These "collapsible paddles" maximize efficiency in water without permanently increasing drag. The toe structure also provides stability on soft substrates.
Which water bird is your favorite?
All photos are free-use from Pexels.
