A duck is a duck.

American wigeon. He has a pretty blue bill that is outlined in black.

Your basic mallard. They really are pretty with their yellow beak, bright green head and orange feet.

This female mallard is very friendly, walking around on the sidewalk getting very close to people.

Beautiful purple feathers are outlined in white. These are present in both the male and female mallards.

Black bellied whistling ducks have light pink beaks and bright pink feet. It's pretty in contrast to the black and brown body.

Male ruddy duck. He also has a pretty blue bill.

Time for a nap.

I used to think all ducks looked alike. They all quacked and paddled around on top of the water. In the past year I have been learning about all of the different ducks and their distinguishing features. I noticed on a recent trip to the zoo how many different ducks were at the zoo and how different they all looked. They all had different beautiful features. An important note - not all ducks quack, there are some ducks that whistle when they are flying.