How Long Can Ducks Hold Their Breath (Can Ducks Drown)

Ducks are part of the large water bird family Duck family And are divided into two main categories; teals and diving ducks.

As their name suggests, diving ducks are good at diving underwater, which is how they typically forage. In contrast, teals forage on the surface of water or on dry land. So, how long can a duck hold its breath?

Teals rarely dive underwater, but diving ducks are capable of some impressive dives, holding their breath for about 10 to 30 seconds. In one study, a whitefin flounder spent an average of 58 seconds underwater on six different dives, with about 12 seconds between dives. Diving ducks usually surface a few feet from where they entered the water.

Eiders are probably the furthest diving of all the ducks, some sources claim they can dive to depths of around 65 feet! Diving ducks have shorter wings than teals and are able to propel themselves underwater with their strong feet.

Of course, there’s still a lot to learn about how long ducks can hold their breath – read on to find out!

Eiders have one of the best duck diving abilities, if not the best

Why do ducks dive underwater?

Diving ducks live primarily at sea and eat most of their food underwater rather than on or around water. Ducks dive underwater to eat aquatic plants, chase small f ish and scoop up small invertebrates and insects.

Different species of ducks have completely different diets. For example, eider ducks—a species of diving duck—feed almost exclusively on molluscs, shellfish, crustaceans, sea worms, and small fish.

In contrast, mallards – a type of teal – are primarily herbivores, feeding primarily on plants.

Since diving ducks must gather food underwater, they have evolved to be more capable of diving than other ducks.

How long can ducks stay underwater?

Most ducks can put their heads underwater and dive for a few seconds, but diving ducks are much better at staying underwater.

For example, the Scotsman has been recorded to take five or six dives, each lasting about a minute with only 10 to 12 second rests in between. Likewise, eider ducks are powerful divers; the common eider has been reported to dive to depths of 65 feet (20 m). Ducks can re-swim about 20 feet from where they entered the water.

Most dives are short, lasting about 10 to 30 seconds. That’s still pretty impressive for a bird of this size.

Mallard ducks can usually only hold their breath for about five seconds

What types of ducks can swim underwater?

Teals are excellent swimmers, but not known for their diving abilities. Teals include mallards, mallards, blue ducks, duckbills, and spade ducks, while diving ducks include sea ducks (eiders, mergansers, teals, goldeneyes, Scotch ducks, and long-tailed ducks), hard-tailed ducks, and Pochard etc.

• mallard duck: Mallards can dive into the water to chew on insects and aquatic plants, but only for about 5 seconds at most. As wading ducks, mallards forage on or near the surface of water.
• Long tail duck: The diving sea duck, the long-tailed duck, can dive to depths of around 40 feet. A dive usually lasts about 10 to 30 seconds.
• Duck down: There are several different species of eider, all of which are capable divers. For example, the common eider has been reported to dive to a depth of 65 feet—the deepest of all ducks.
• Scot: The Scotsman has been recorded diving for up to 1 minute, traveling about 20 feet underwater.
• Merganser: Another species of sea duck, the merganser, can dive for about 30 seconds to chase fish. Mergansers have been recorded diving to depths of about 30 to 40 feet.
• Wooden Duck: Wood ducks are hunting ducks that rarely dive. Instead, they forage for aquatic and terrestrial plants from water or dry land.

Long-tailed ducks can hold their breath for up to 30 seconds!

How fast can a duck swim underwater?

There is no reliable data on how fast ducks can swim underwater. However, ducks can swim at about 6 mph, which is probably at least as fast as they can move underwater.

Ducks often resurface a few feet from where they entered the water. Long-tailed ducks have been observed to resurface over 30 feet from where they dived, so they can be moving very fast!

How deep can a duck dive?

Most diving ducks stick to a diving depth of around 6 to 10 feet, but a few species dive deeper. For example, long-tailed ducks and mergansers have been recorded diving to depths in excess of 40 feet.

The deepest diving duck is the common eider, which can dive to a depth of about 60 to 65 feet (20 to 25 meters).

Close-up of a red-breasted merganser diving for food

Why can ducks stay underwater for so long?

Ducks are highly buoyant and very adaptable to life on the water. Their smooth, oily feathers help them move across the water, and they have strong webbed feet to propel them. These adaptations allow ducks to move quickly both underwater and above water.

Additionally, diving ducks have very short and compact wings that they rest against their bodies before diving. Then they push down sharply like a torpedo.

Once submerged, diving ducks hold their breath longer than most birds. Their circulatory systems are adept at operating in low-oxygen conditions and have a high tolerance to asphyxiation.

While diving ducks are capable divers, they pale in comparison to penguins – some species can hold their breath for over 30 minutes!

Do ducks drown?

Ducks are birds, so they are not really aquatic animals, nor can they breathe underwater. Instead, they make the most of their last breath before diving into the water.

If the ducks stay underwater long enough, they will definitely drown. No species of duck can breathe underwater for longer than 1 minute.

Scotsman has been recorded holding his breath underwater for up to a minute

Can ducks breathe underwater?

Ducks cannot breathe underwater. In fact, no bird, not even penguins, can breathe underwater. Instead, ducks use the oxygen they breathe on land very efficiently when diving underwater, similar to human professional freedivers.

Can one duck drown another duck?

Ducks often mate in water, which can lead to accidental drowning of female ducks. Fortunately, this is rare, but it can sometimes happen when multiple mallards combine to attack a young female.

Male ducks can become very aggressive during the breeding season, chasing females violently and forcing them to mate.

A pair of male mallards fighting in the water

Which ducks swim underwater?

Most ducks can swim as short as a foot or two underwater, but diving ducks like the eider, long-tailed, and merganser take this to the next level and are capable of diving to considerable depths.

In general, all diving and sea ducks are capable of swimming underwater, including:

• eider duck
• Pochard
• Scot
• golden eye
• Merganser
• fool
• scalp

Golden-eyed Duck ready to dive

Which ducks can’t swim underwater?

All ducks can swim short distances underwater. However, compared to diving ducks and sea ducks, teals require less long-distance diving. Ducks include:

• mallard duck
• wooden duck
• Wigan
• blue-green
• Gadwalls
• shovel

Can ducklings go into the water?

Ducklings can swim up and down the water for a day or two after hatching, but cannot swim confidently for at least two to four weeks.

During this time, ducklings are often observed dipping underwater and diving short distances to catch small insects. Even ducklings who can play with water can make short dives.

Female mallard diving for food

Will the duckling drown?

Ducklings cannot breathe underwater, so if they stay underwater long enough, they will drown. Ducks are still birds after all and cannot breathe underwater.

When can ducklings swim?

Ducklings are able to swim within a few days of hatching, but are usually introduced to water after 5 to 7 days.

Once in the water, swimming becomes instinctive, but it takes another four weeks for ducklings to swim confidently and independently of their mother.