Pink-Eared Duck: Australia’s Little Pink-Eared Imposter 😂

Hello my Duck Nuggets and Floating Marshmallows! It’s Cataleya here, and today we are going to learn about a bird that at first seems like it doesn’t fit in with its name… until you look closely. 💀 The Pink-eared Duck! 🩷

Here are 5 facts:

Image Credit: Ebird

1. Widely distributed throughout Australia: These ducks are highly mobile and can appear anywhere there is standing water, especially in dry inland regions.

   
   

2. They feed by vortexing: Two ducks spin around a central point, with the head of one duck opposite the tail of the other. This helps concentrate food in a swirling column of water. 🌪️🦆

   
   

3. They have a tiny pink spot: They have a small pink spot near their ear, which is what gave them their adorable name! 🩷

   
   

4. They had another name: The Pink-eared Duck was reportedly known as the New Holland Duck by early colonists in Western Australia! Wonder what that’s meant to mean! 🤔

   
   

5. They eat plankton and tiny aquatic animals: They depend on plankton, as well as crustaceans, mollusks, and insects. Honestly at that point they ate most of the Spongebob cast 💀

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7. Their “pink ears” aren’t actually their ears! The little pink spot that gave them their name is actually located behind/below the eye, while a duck's actual ear opening is lower down and isn't visible like a human ear. So basically… Pink-eared Duck? More like Pink-Not-Actually-Eared Duck. 💀🦆

   
   

They look so cute and tiny! My new competitor with Call Ducks! 😂🩷🦆