Do Ducks have ears?

I still remember that sunny afternoon at our local duckpond, a favourite place to spend a quiet moment come rain or shine. Emmy, with her tiny fingers clutching a piece of bread, suddenly tugged at my sleeve, her face full of that wide-eyed curiosity and a beaming smile.

“Tell me, Mummy, do ducks have ears?” she asked.

It was one of those beautifully simple yet completely unexpected questions that make you stop in your tracks and realise just how much there is still to learn about the world – and in that moment, I honestly couldn’t answer her as I had no idea myself. I can’t say it was ever something I had thought about previously.

So we went back home to find the answer to that very simple question, together as a project – drawing pictures of the ducks and the pond and talking about what ducks like to eat, how they make nests and finding out as many new and interesting facts as we possible could.

The Hidden Secret of Duck Ears – Do Ducks Have Ears?

Believe it or not the answer to the question: Do Ducks Have Ears? is yes, ducks do have ears! You just can’t see them. Unlike their beaks or eyes, their ears are tucked away beneath a layer of soft, waterproof feathers, hidden like a little natural secret. It’s actually quite clever – this built-in feathered shield keeps their ears safe from water, dirt, and wind, all while still allowing them to hear the world around them.

Unlike us, ducks don’t have external ear flaps (pinnae). Instead, their ear openings are simple holes, positioned just behind and slightly below their eyes, covered by special auricular feathers (Dooling & Dent, 2001). These feathers aren’t just there for decoration – they help filter out wind noise while still letting in important sounds, like the quacks of their flock or the rustle of something moving in the reeds.

A Moment of Awe at the Pond

That day, as Emmy’s face lit up with fascination, I found myself staring at the ducks a little differently too. They paddled along as if they knew something we didn’t, gliding effortlessly through the water, perfectly adapted to their little world. How many other tiny wonders had I walked past a hundred times without ever really noticing?

Researching together was so much fun – we went down a research rabbit hole (or should I say, duck pond?), something I wouldn’t have been able to do as easily as a child as Google wasn’t even around when I was her age, and smartphones, well, no those weren’t either. My research as a child would have to be done sitting in our local libary.

It actually turns out, ducks are brilliant at pinpointing where a sound is coming from, despite having no external ears to help funnel noise. A study by Kettler et al. (2016) found that ducks rely on the way sound waves interact with their heads and feathers to work out direction – an incredibly useful skill when you need to keep an ear out for predators.

And their hearing is pretty impressive too. Ducks can pick up sounds in the range of 500 Hz to 4,000 Hz (Dooling et al., 2000), which is perfect for detecting the calls of their flock, the splash of potential prey, or the distant sound of something (or someone) approaching.

Embracing the Wonder

Every now and then, my children ask a question that stops me in my tracks, and this was one of them. It’s a reminder that the world is absolutely full of hidden wonders, just waiting to be noticed. Whether it’s the mystery of duck ears or the reason leaves whisper in the wind, there’s always something new to learn—even in the most ordinary moments.

So next time you’re at the pond, watching ducks bob along the water, take a closer look. The answers to some of nature’s best-kept secrets are often hidden in plain sight. And if you ever need a reminder, just think of those adorable ducks—graceful, curious, and carrying their secret ears like tiny badges of nature’s genius.

Until next time, keep exploring, keep asking, and most importantly, keep marvelling at the incredible details of our everyday world.

References:

• Dooling, R. J., & Dent, M. L. (2001). Hearing in birds and reptiles. Comparative Hearing: Birds and Reptiles, Springer.
• Dooling, R. J., Lohr, B., & Dent, M. L. (2000). Hearing in birds and their sound perception. Comparative Hearing: Birds and Reptiles.
• Kettler, L., Degenhardt, K., & Wagner, H. (2016). How do ducks localise sound without external ears? The Journal of Experimental Biology, 219(3), 394-403.

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