Brown-o and White-o Thrive in the Rain
December 11th 2007 21:07
Most people hate being in the rain. I suppose the same would apply to many animals. But not my childhood pet ducks, Brown-o and White-o. As soon as the first drop hit the ground, the two ducks would be out and about with a vengeance. This was their time to splash around and get wet. When you think about it, this is hardly surprising, given that ducks are waterfowl and, like all waterfowl, are designed to be in the water. Brown-o and White-o would quack and quack in happiness and let the rain completely wet them. The more, the better it was for them! Of course, the rain didn’t completely penetrate their feathers…You know that saying, like water off a duck’s back? That’s actually true as ducks have an oil gland at the base of their tail feathers, which they will twist their heads upside down and backwards so they can rub the oil all over their heads and the rest of their body. This waterproofs their feathers so they can get as wet as they like while their inner most layer of feathers – the down which even grown ducks like my beloved Brown-o and White-o retain – is used to keep them warm.
As teenagers, my sister and I loved to watch Brown-o and White-o play in the rain, followed by them twisting their heads around in a long act of oiling their bodies. They looked so cute with their heads upside down. It’s amazing even given the fact due to the positioning of their eyes, they could see almost 360 degrees around them, making them easily spot predators.
As teenagers, my sister and I loved to watch Brown-o and White-o play in the rain, followed by them twisting their heads around in a long act of oiling their bodies. They looked so cute with their heads upside down. It’s amazing even given the fact due to the positioning of their eyes, they could see almost 360 degrees around them, making them easily spot predators.
Photo byYomangani. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
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