Aquatic Animals

Aves＞Anseriformes＞Anatidae

Owing to the sweet and delicate meat, waterfowls have been taken as a main hunting target before being domesticated. Many subspecies are now bred to supply meat, eggs, and feather. Wild waterfowls are endowed with excellent flight ability and mostly have migratory behavior.

There are six species of Anatidae at the Area of Aquatic Animals, including Black Swan, Chinese Goose, Mallard, Peking Duck, Muscovy Duck, and Mule Duck.

Australian Black Swan

Originated from Australia, Australian Black Swan is reputed as the “Noblesse of Waterfowl,” and characterized with a small head, a reddish orange beak, a thin and slightly curly neck, and strong wings that enable a long flight. Their feathers on the body are all black or gray and their shins are black as well. Leading a monogamous life, they have a constant spouse. During the reproduction period, the couple will make a nest by the water with deadwood and leaves. Eggs will be hatched by the female goose and the gander is responsible for keeping alert and changing shifts with the female goose.

The quality of eggs will be affected by the depth of the pond, the surroundings, and the feedstuffs. The feedstuffs are composed of grains and vegetation, such as lettuce, eelgrass, and plankton.

Chinese Goose

Chinese Geese are divided into two species – White Chinese Geese and Brown Chinese Geese. The beak, the wart, the crest, and the webs of White Chinese Geese are yellowish orange. They are covered with white feathers and have a long neck and a short tail cocked upward. The body size and head warts of ganders are much bigger. Brown Chinese Geese are characterized with their black beaks, head warts, and crests, dark yellowish orange webs, brown eyes, long necks, short tails cocked upward, gray feathers with dark brown stripes on the back, and light gray chest and belly. Most of them are raised in Taoyuan and Hsinchu. They may serve as food and ornamental animals, or may be raised in orchards for weeding. They can also be guards due to their resonant cries and great alertness as guards.

Mallard

Male mallards show a sparkling green color from head to neck, and their feathers around the bottom of the neck look like a white belt. The dark millet-colored chest, the yellow peak, the yellowish orange feet, and the middle four tail feathers cocked upward and slight curly are also features of male mallards. On the other hand, the feathers of female mallards are brown with tiny black spots. They have a yellow peak with black spots and their tail feathers are not curly. However, the color of a male mallard and that of a female mallard look similar during the molting period. Mallards live their lives with each other, mainly eating water plants or tiny animals in mud for food.   They are distributed around Europe, Asia, and North America, and will migrate to South China, Japan and Taiwan in winter.

Pekin Ducks

Originated in North China, Pekin Ducks are characterized by their milky white feathers, reddish orange shins, and yellowish orange peaks. The tail feathers of drakes are curly. Some farmers mate female Pekin Ducks with male Muscovy Ducks to breed mule ducks with a larger size. Kaiya Ducks bred in Yilan are hybridized by female Tsaiya Ducks and male Pekin Ducks.

Muscovy Ducks

Originated from Peru in South America, Muscovy Ducks can be divided into black-colored species, white-colored species, and mixed-colored species. The red warts on the face are a special feature of them. With black shins and webs, Muscovy Ducks are good at flying, and have served as the most popular ingredient for winter tonic soup. The Royal Tonic “Ginger Duck Soup” is the best representative of the red-faced ducks.

Mule Ducks