Waterfowl thrive in the wild by using their senses, adapting to changing weather conditions, using the benefits of habitats from wetlands and grasslands, as well as feeding adaptations. Ducks and Geese take advantage of their natural ability to survive in the wild. Humans can help or hurt the survival of waterfowl by their actions. Many states have created conservations or refuges that benefit the waterfowl, but the help of humans has decreased over the years. Ducks and Geese have the same five senses that people do; however, in waterfowl theses abilities are highly adapted to the environments in which the birds live (Coluccy). The scenes that we all depend on consist of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Sight is the most important …show more content…
Over time, waterfowl have developed numerous adaptations to exploit these habitats and their abundant food resources (Coluccy). The waterfowl species have been able to share the same wetlands without competing for the same food resources. They are able to eat many different types of vegetation and survive quite well. Waterfowl have several different feeding modes to satisfy their energy needs. These modes include dabbling, diving, grubbing and straining. Some waterfowl are considered dabblers because they just stick their heads under the surface of the water to get food, while diving waterfowl can dive into deep waters and retrieve their food. Other waterfowl are considered grubbers because they uproot plants in the water and eat the roots. They have very strong, muscular necks that helps them uproot the plants that they like to eat. The final feeding mode is strainers, which slurp up water and jet it through lamellae to get the food items. Despite their common features, waterfowl bills are very diverse and highly specialized. Similar to precision instruments, the bills of waterfowl have evolved into an array of sizes and shapes to exploit a variety of food item