Duck — Birds

The story behind the answer

It’s a duck: note the broad, flat “spatula” bill, webbed feet, and rounded body built for floating. Ducks sit low on the water and have relatively short necks—unlike herons (tall with spear-like bills and long S-shaped necks), doves (slender with small bills, perching posture), or hummingbirds (tiny, hovering with needle-like bills).

Ducks are waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Their feathers are highly waterproof thanks to oil from a uropygial gland, and many species are dabblers—tipping forward to sieve seeds and small invertebrates near the surface—while others dive. Ducklings famously imprint on the first moving caregiver they see. Memory tip: if it floats like a buoy, has a flat bill like a spoon, and feet like paddles, it’s a duck.