Birding/nesting duck

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Expert: - 5/16/2007


Question
Hello,  We have a nesting duck in our nature center at our school. The mother
has been sitting on her nest for about 3 days.  Today, she seems to be
opening and closing her beak repeatedly.  As far as we can hear, there isn't any
sound coming out.  We were wondering  if you know what she was doing?

Answer
Probably, she is just hot and is panting to cool off. Birds have no sweat glands and the major way they have to cool off is to lose moisture from their lungs. And incubating takes a lot of energy and she needs to cool down. Roger Lederer at Ornithology.com

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Roger Lederer

Expertise

Any and all about WILD birds - the science of ornithology. Information about birdwatching, ecology, conservation, migration, behavior, banding, rehabilitation, feeding, songs, binoculars, identification, and careers in ornithology. No questions about pet or caged birds, please.

Experience

Have a PhD and over forty years as a professional ornithologist - research, teaching, author, speaker, webmaster of Ornithology.com . Have written thirty scientific papers, three bird field guides, a textbook in ecology and two recent books entitled "Amazing Birds" and "Birds of New England". Have traveled to over 90 countries watching birds.

Education/Credentials
PhD in Zoology/Ornithology; Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences; former Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at California State University, Chico

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