Sleeping Scaup

R

Rich Newman

Active member
Are they really sleeping? I googled sleeping scaup and yes all their heads are turned and their bills are tucked into their feathers but their eyes are open in every pic. I think they are exhaling warm air into their down to keep warm. What's everyones take on this.
Sleepy-Greater-Scaup-Duck-295058.jpg

 
Rich~

Great photo of my favorite bird!

Although ducks may "cat nap" a bit during the day, their true sleep is mostly at night (thus, not many photos of them with their eyes closed). During the day, they are just loafing - taking it easy between bouts of feeding and preening - and minimizing their energy expenditures.

Most birds tuck their bills into their back feathers while sleeping. It allows incoming air to be pre-heated by the body heat trapped under their feathers.

Biology aside, I have always thought that a "sleeping" (turnback) duck presents one of the most elegant forms in nature - fun to carve.

All the best,

SJS
 
That's a very good photo. I'm very glad I got to watch them, and hunt them, in the old Bonus Scaup days. The first plastic decoys I ever bought, were TEX WIRTZ Bluebills. Still have one......
To me, no diver slides into the Decoys like Bluebills. Have not shot one in years. Last time I saw them in big flocks, was in ND. I just watched them and smiled, brought back a flood of memories.

Many times I'd watch new arrivals to where I hunted, land way out, and hit that pose for hours. They were that played out from their flight.
 
You need to keep in mind that with a photographer there, they ar not likely to sleep. Also, they generally sleep in short bouts and then scan for predators.....they wouldn't last very long if they slept for more than a few minutes at a time.

Clint
 
Also, keep in mind that certain animals sleep differently depending on their surroundings and evolution. Some animals, especially ones susceptible to predators, sleep by resting half of their brains at a time. This can sometimes manifest itself by the animal closing one eye at a time. when ducks are in packs, they'll sometimes take turns with birds on the inside closing both eyes, while ducks on the outside are only half asleep, keep one open eye to the outside to they can register a threat.

There's actually still quite a bit about sleep that is still unknown.

Here's a very interesting portion of a podcast by NPR's Radiolab where they talk about sleep, specifically a study about mallard ducks about 10 minutes in. I recommend checking it out. http://www.radiolab.org/2007/may/24/one-eye-open/
 
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