How Long Do Ducks Live?

Ducks are aquatic freshwater and saltwater birds that inhabit most parts of the world, from the high Arctic to forests near the equator. Perhaps unsurprisingly, ducks are hardy and hardy birds that are adapted to a wide range of conditions and habitats and are excellent at surviving extremely low temperatures. Given their tough and hardy nature, how long do ducks live?

Ducks in the wild don’t live particularly long, most don’t live past 10 years. Mallard ducks in the wild live to an average of about 5 to 10 years of age. Infant mortality among ducklings is so high that in some populations only about 5 in 10 ducks survive to adulthood.

In captivity, ducks can live much longer, perhaps up to 20 years. There is a Guinness World Records category for the oldest duck, which cites the oldest duck as being owned by Gladys Blackbeard of Grahamstown, South Africa – they allegedly lived to be 49 years old!

A more easily verifiable contender is Ernie, an apricot duck who turned 21 in 2019.

Read on to learn more about the life and longevity of ducks!

a white domestic duck

How long do ducks generally live?

Many ducks don’t even live to their first birthday. For mallard ducks, only about 30% survive the first year, and as many as 60% die within the first 30 days. A study of eider ducks similarly found a slightly higher survival rate from hatch to ducklings than 10%. This is why ducks are found in considerable numbers compared to other birds – many ducklings simply do not survive to the fledgling stage.

Infant mortality complicates the question of lifespan in ducks, and makes it difficult to measure life expectancy in mallards. Ducks that live to adulthood usually live at least 5 to 10 years or so, and some live longer.

Common eider (Somateria mollissima)

How long can ducks live in the wild?

Ducks in the wild even need a little luck to reach adulthood—as many as 50% to 90% of ducklings die within the first month of life.

those ducklings that survive will Usually live at least 5 to 8 years, but some mallard ducks have been recorded to live to 20 years old or more. Measuring lifespan in birds in the wild is notoriously difficult because it relies on reliable long-term data, and many studies are outdated or based on anecdotal evidence.

mallard lifespan

Adult mallard ducks usually live to be at least 5 years old, but in some cases may live to 10 or 12 years old, although that would be a nice achievement! Mallard ducks in captivity can live to be around 15 years old.

For more information on mallard lifespan, check out this article.

wild duck (platypus)

muscovy duck (Cairina moschata)

Muscovy Duck Lifespan

The largest duck, Muscovy, can live to 10 to 12 years in the wild, with an average of 7 to 8 years. They are one of the longest-lived ducks in captivity, living to be around 20 years old.

eider duck lifespan

One of the longest-lived ducks, eider ducks survive their first year and can live another 14 years or so.

male and female eider (Somateria mollissima)

Eurasian blue duck (quotes crecca)

green duck lifespan

There are various species of blue ducks and most are long-lived, living up to 14 years in the wild. A wild Eurasian Teal has been reported to have lived for 27 years.

Wigeon Lifespan

Wigeons are also among the longest-lived ducks – wild Wigeons have been recorded to live about 20 years. One reference cites a wild pheasant that lived to be 34 years old.

wild duck (Anas Penelope)

black bellied whistle duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis)

Mingling Duck Lifespan

Whistling ducks appear to be the shortest-lived of all ducks, with some records showing an average life expectancy of only about five years.

How long can ducks live in captivity?

In captivity, most ducks can live 20 years or more. There are various anecdotal reports of ducks living to 30 or more, but verifiable accounts of older ducks seem to place the oldest candidate in the early 20s.

A mallard duck is said to live to be 26 years old, while the Guinness Book of World Records entry for oldest duck cites a duck that lived to be 49 years old.

How long ducks can theoretically be kept in captivity is really hard to say.

how did the duck die

As adults, ducks remain vulnerable to predation by a variety of birds, mammals, reptiles, fish and other animals. Diseases affecting ducks include duck viral enteritis (DVE), duck viral hepatitis (DVH), Riemerella anatipestifer, fowl cholera and colibacillosis.

Adult ducks may die from predation or disease before dying in what humans call “old age.”

Three Peking Ducks

What did the duckling die of?

During the first month or two of life, ducklings are extremely vulnerable to any large fish (such as largemouth bass and northern pike), various large amphibians (such as bullfrogs), reptiles (including snakes, lizards, and turtles), birds (such as hawks, hawks and owls) and mammals such as foxes, raccoons, cats, minks, weasels, stoats and ferrets.

Hypothermia is also a major threat to ducklings, and extreme weather such as hail, snow and rainfall can lead to flooding. In 1953, hailstorms in the US province of Alberta killed approximately 150,000 waterfowl in one summer in what is known as a catastrophic mortality event.

Mother mallard and her ducklings

What are the natural enemies of ducks?

Ducks are gregarious and gregarious birds that often congregate in flocks, which also provide some protection from predators. Even so, ducks face a host of threats from predators on land, sea and air:

birds

• owl
• eagles
• eagles
• petrel
• Skewer
• crows and other crows
• heron

fish

• Parker
• bass
• Muskie

reptiles and amphibians

• sea ​​turtle
• snake
• lizard
• Crocodile
• Crocodile
• bullfrog

mammal

• fox
• Mink, Weasel, Ferret and Ferret
• skunk
• raccoon
• Coyotes
• Bobcats and Wildcats
• badger

A flock of mallards – ducks flock together to help avoid predation

Do ducks get sad?

Many birds have been observed mourning and grieving, including powerful displays of penguins mourning their dead chicks to swans, who can grieve the death of their mates for years. Corvids, including magpies, crows and crows, have also been observed to mourn their dead using strange rituals.

Evidence suggests that birds experience grief in similar emotional ways to humans and other intelligent animals, but often confuse grief with other unemotional or instinctive behaviors.

Ducks have been observed to grieve for their mates, chicks, or members of their flock. Anecdotes of ducks becoming depressed when a member of the flock or a mate dies are not uncommon.

After all, ducks are highly social birds, and while few species mate for life, they still form close social bonds.

Wood duck or Carolina duck (Aix sponsa), in water

What is the longest-lived duck?

There are many candidates for the longest-lived duck. In the wild, some ducks have been documented to live to be around 30 years old, but the official candidates for “oldest duck” are mostly in their 20s. Guinness World Records does list a pair of ducks that may live to be 49 years old.

A popular candidate for the longest-lived duck was a female mallard named Desi from Maidenhead, England, who died in 2002 after a reported 20 years and 3 months. But a 21-year-old duck named Ernie moved beyond that spot in the news in 2019.

However, the plot gets more complicated as the British Trust for Ornithology documented an eider duck that may have lived to be 35 years, six months and 26 days. It was penned at the Ythan Estuary in Aberdeenshire in 1958 and was found dead in 1994. There are many records of wild ducks living to at least 20 years old, which begs the question, why do many domestic ducks only live to 20 years old or not? !

Adding to the confusion is the official Guinness World Records entry, which cites two ducks in South Africa who lived to be 49 years old before dying in 1966. The 49-year-old ducks are said to be in good health apart from vision loss. Although this is enshrined in the Guinness Book of World Records, there is little other evidence to support it.

Who is the longest-lived duck is still inconclusive!

Mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) on a lake

Duck Lifespan FAQs

How long do ducks live as pets?

Ducks in captivity can live more than twice their average lifespan in the wild. Mallard, Muscovy, and Peking ducks kept as pets can live at least 15 years. Some of the oldest domestic ducks live to be at least 20 years old.

How long do wild ducks live?

The average lifespan of a mallard is 5 to 10 years. Most adult mallards live at least 5 years. Wild ducks in captivity can live up to 15 years or more.

How long do muscovy ducks live?

Muscovy ducks live a fairly long life in the wild, with an average lifespan of 8 to 12 years. Muscovy ducks can live to be 18 to 20 years old in captivity.

How long can a white duck live?

White or Peking ducks live about 12 years, making them one of the longer-lived domestic duck breeds.