How Many Species Of Ducks Are There?
When people mention ducks, many are actually thinking of all waterfowl species in general—the birds in the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans. Naturally, that group contains many species.
According to the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), there are about 174 species in the Anatidae family worldwide. However, this total includes ducks, geese, and swans, not just ducks alone.
So, how many duck species are there?
First, we can describe ducks as waterbirds in the family Anatidae that are not classified as geese or swans. Based on this loose definition (without going too deeply into which waterfowl technically qualify as ducks and which do not) there are roughly 120–130 species of ducks worldwide.
To break these numbers down a bit further, ducks are often grouped into two major categories based on their feeding behavior: dabbling ducks and diving ducks.
Dabbling ducks feed by tipping their bodies upward and submerging their heads under the water while the rest of their bodies remain at the surface. In contrast, diving ducks dive completely underwater to search for food.
In terms of numbers, there are roughly 50–60 recognized species of dabbling ducks, most of which belong to the subfamily Anatinae. You can check some of the most common dabbling ducks here.
There are also about 40–50 species of diving ducks worldwide, although the exact number varies slightly depending on how scientists classify certain species. Here is a list of some of the most common diving ducks.
I know you are probably wondering about the remaining 10–20 species. It’s important to note that not all ducks fall neatly into the simple “dabbling vs. diving” categories. Those two groups cover many species, but several other duck groups are usually counted separately.
When ducks are grouped as dabbling or diving, the classification is describing their feeding style, not the full scientific classification. For instance, ducks can also be categorized as sea ducks, perching ducks, stifftails, or mergansers (fish-eating ducks).
Some of these groups also overlap. For example, many sea ducks are technically diving ducks. Because of these overlaps and additional groupings, the remaining 10–20 species are accounted for within these other categories.
You can check a list and pictures of over 120 common duck species here.
Summary
| Category | Approximate Number of Species | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total species in family Anatidae | ~174 | Includes ducks, geese, and swans. |
| Total duck species worldwide | ~120–130 | Ducks are waterbirds in Anatidae that are not classified as geese or swans. |
| Dabbling ducks | ~50–60 | Feed at the surface by tipping forward and submerging their heads. Many belong to the subfamily Anatinae. |
| Diving ducks | ~40–50 | Dive completely underwater to find food. |
| Other duck groups | ~10–20 | Includes sea ducks, perching ducks, stifftails, and mergansers. Some overlap with diving ducks. |
