Like a Duck to Water: Why We Adore Ducks and Ducklings

_{Photo by Ben Lee}

Ducks, ducks, ducks! We just love them, don’t we? These little feathered things glide across ponds and lakes like lovely webbed and winged figure skaters. We love ducks, and that’s a love that’s persisted for centuries. There’s something just so adorable and endearing about their quacking–incessant as they may sometimes be–and their silly waddling.

Why We Adore Ducks and Ducklings

The best moment to love a duck is yesterday, and the next best moment is now. When ducks are young, we call them ducklings. And isn’t that just the cutest name for them ever? With their tiny little bodies, yellow with baby feathers, fluffy and fuzzy, ducklings are irresistibly cute. It doesn’t help that they have such wide and innocent eyes.

When we see ducklings waddling through in line, following their mommy duck, we are blasted with a sense of tenderness and softness. Just the sight of it all brings a smile to even the most hardened of hearts.

Why is this the case? Perhaps it is just the human tendency to associate with others. Or perhaps it is because ducks and ducklings are often very vulnerable and innocent-looking. The small size and defenselessness of ducklings reminds people of a natural purity that we are always in search of. This qualities also activates our protective instinct, which makes us care for and nurture them.

Nothing warms the heart faster than sitting down by a body of water and watching a group of ducklings explore their surroundings with curiosity and delight, waddling into the grass and the water and just having a jolly good time. Quack, quack, quack, indeed.

The sight of ducks and ducklings frolicking over the grass also prompts us to be playful and joyful. When we see something that is both playful and joyful, we can’t help but be drawn to it and mimic it. Ducks are prime examples of these. There’s no wonder why everyone is a big fan of Donald Duck and Daffy Duck.

_{Photo by Siegfried Poepperl}

Like a Duck to Water: Endearing Qualities

Ducks are great birds, and they have a charm that is entirely unique to them. It’s what really sets them apart from other birds of their kind–and other kinds of birds and animals, to be honest.

They’re fun and lovely and just a simply great blast to be around.

Ducks are very underrated. If you don’t like ducks, that’s a bad quack for you–and speaking of their quacks, they are instantly recognizable. You wouldn’t mistake it for a goose’s or a swan’s!

Quacks from a duck may be annoying at first, but they really grow on you fast. It’s a lot like the ducks themselves. They’re often portrayed as annoying in media, but they are some of the sweetest animals on the farm.

When they waddle towards you, it is both amusing and endearing. It’s something that invokes both a clumsiness and a gracefulness, the combination of which only serves to endear them more to our human sensibilities.

Another thing about ducks that everyone should know is that they’re really awesome swimmers. Those webbed feet aren’t just for show, you know. They help ducks navigate the water with such ease that ducks become indisputable masters of the pond or lake. Clumsy as they might be, they are adept hunters and powerful athletes.

_{Photo by Anastasia Lashkevich}

Like a Duck to Water: Cultural Significance

Surprisingly, ducks have been revered by humans throughout history. They play very significant roles in various cultures and mythologies. Whether it’s in art, literature, or mythology, ducks are great.

In many cultures, ducks aren’t just a symbol of cuteness and gracefulness over and underwater. They are also emblematic of peace and tranquility. A pair of ducks are a symbol of love in some Asian cultures. They are also representative of nature’s abundance and fertility due to their knack for making ducklings and finding food.

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There’s a reason that ducks and ducklings have captured the collective hearts of humanity. Well, plenty of reasons. The joy, the symbolism and more are what make them truly special creatures.

Whether you are a child or an adult, there’s something in ducks that is sure to draw you.

If you are looking to fill that duck-shaped hole in your heart, Janice Jobey has a fun children’s book about baby ducks that will surely tickle your heart. It’s entitled 12 Little Ducks, and you can grab a copy by clicking this link.