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Ducks

Bay And Sea Ducks



Bay and sea ducks (Aythyinae) are diving ducks that swim beneath the surface of the water in search of aquatic animals. Some species also eat plants, but this is generally less important than in the herbivorous dabbling ducks. Some bay and sea ducks, for example, common goldeneye (Bucephala clangula), ring-necked duck (Aythya collaris), and hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus), eat mostly arthropods occurring in the water column. Other species including oldsquaws (Clangula hyemalis), lesser scaups (Aythya affinis), surf scoters (Melanitta perspicillata), and common eiders (Somateria mollissima) specialize on bottom living invertebrates. Some of these species are remarkable divers, descending as deep as 246 ft (75 m) in the case of oldsquaw ducks.



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Science EncyclopediaScience & Philosophy: Direct Variation to DysplasiaDucks - Dabbling Ducks, Bay And Sea Ducks, Economic Importance Of Ducks, Factors Affecting The Abundance Of Ducks - Tree or whistling ducks, Stiff-tailed ducks, Mergansers