Can ducks freeze?

[goosebruce]

we live on a residental lake in memphis, and the bigger lake across the road is about 90% froze, the ducks and geese kept a hole last night. theres at least 2 dead ducks froze on the ice between that hole and reece road I could see this am. this morning it was covered with ducks and geese, but at lunch the ducks had gone out (I bet there was 400 ducks and geese on it). The last 2 morning there has been 6 ducks, 2 green, 2 hen, and 2 white, under the sign in the median at the cornor of reese and whitten... where the crazy black guy stands on sunday selling the paper. I actually was going to open my door and grab a couple yesterday, except people pulled up next to me laughing and pointing at the ducks! travis

[speckulator]

Have you ever felt a ducks feet? All year round they are very warm because of the amount of blood vessels in them. In fact, if a duck's foot were to be completely cut off, it would die in about twenty minutes because of how fast the blood goes through. Their feet really don't get as cold as you would think they would get.

Ducks have down feathers. If you've ever worn a down jacket, you'll know they are very warm, which is part of the reason ducks don't get too cold to swim.

Their feathers are repellent, so water more or less just slides right off of them. It isn't like humans with clothes, where it soaks them to the core and takes hours to dry off.

Just about the only thing I ever watch for is the bird's feathers getting wet, and then having the bird lay down on ice. If it's cold enough the bird will get stuck to the ice, and have to be pulled up or that is how it would freeze to death. I have yet to see one freeze to death in water.

[Hole Hunter]

I heard somewhere that they could die while flying due to the cold temps several thousand feet up in the sky. Something about the blood in their lungs could develop ice crystals....

[Dawge1]

Been hunting a long time and never seen a live duck freeze, saw one fly from the sky once in sleet from his wings freezing but not a live duck to freeze. My hunting buddy just got back Minn. and stated every lake up there is full of Mallards.

Byhaliadawge