# Do ducks quack at night?? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 3, 2007, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ducks-quack-at-night/402661 "2007-05-03T20:14:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Shiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shiv)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ducks-quack-at-night/402661/1 "2007-05-03T20:14:33Z")
Outside a chateau in Provence on Monday, a loud and definite quacking struck up late at night. Fairly sure it was ducks I stood my ground until the next morning despite derision of my bedfellow. Forced to eat my canard the next day, we learned it was frisky French frogs (grenouilles) in their ‘saison d’amour’. Not being one to back down easily, I wonder can anyone tell me if ducks do, in any circumstance, on any continent, quack at night. I so hate to be proved wrong. Merci bien a vous! Siobhán ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ducks-quack-at-night/402661/2 "2007-05-03T20:21:43Z")
Since I capture birds that get loose in the building by throwing a sheet over them, causing them to immediately fall asleep, I would guess “no” while I wait for someone more knowledgeable to show up. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ducks-quack-at-night/402661/3 "2007-05-03T20:25:03Z")
The _real_ question is, if ducks quack at night, do they echo? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ducks-quack-at-night/402661/4 "2007-05-03T20:28:28Z")
[QUOTE=dwc1970] The _real_ question is, if ducks quack at night, do they echo? 😃 [/QUOTE] To which, the correct response is, “no.” (but the quacks do) 😛 ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ducks-quack-at-night/402661/5 "2007-05-03T20:31:31Z")
When I was a kid, I sometimes spent the night at my grandpa’s farm. There was a pond near the farmhouse. On and near the pond were quite a few ducks, some of whom were permanent residents and some of whom were just passing through. During the night they seldom made a sound, but every now and then there would be a commotion, a sudden flurry of quacking and the sound of wings flapping. Grandfather said that predators such as coyotes sometimes attacked the flock of ducks during the night. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ducks-quack-at-night/402661/6 "2007-05-03T20:33:11Z")
So am I to infer that ducks do not quack when they are alseep? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ducks-quack-at-night/402661/7 "2007-05-03T20:46:42Z")
Sure, they will quack at night if they are disturbed or restless. Many birds don’t really sleep through the night - they may wake and shift around and call at any time. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ducks-quack-at-night/402661/8 "2007-05-03T20:52:29Z")
**Colibri** > [@](#): > > Many birds don’t really sleep through the night - they may wake and shift around and call at any time. Well, they’d better not call me at 3:00 a.m. !!! :mad: (From now on, I’ll make damned sure that I take the phone off the hook before I go to sleep.) ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ducks-quack-at-night/402661/9 "2007-05-03T21:05:33Z")
I grew up next to a lake. Ducks do quack at night. Often do to a fracas of some sort, probably predation, but sometimes a lone duck would wander around quacking. I think maybe when lost, but you could tell it was moving around. I don’t recall ever hearing geese at night though. Loons call often at night. ---
**Author:** ![Shiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Shiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shiv)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ducks-quack-at-night/402661/10 "2007-05-03T21:10:52Z")
Thankyou. I am concluding then that ducks probably don’t quack on a regular, casual, conversational basis at night time, as they might during the day, but if restless, disturbed or distressed, they may quack occasionally in the midnight hour? I think this is possibly enough to allow me to retain a modicum of dignity, so many thanks to one and all. Siobhán ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ducks-quack-at-night/402661/11 "2007-05-03T21:15:54Z")
**Nurse Carmen** > [@](#): > > Loons call often at night. It almost seems as if you’re feeding me that straight line. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ducks-quack-at-night/402661/12 "2007-05-03T21:18:15Z")
[QUOTE=pinkfreud] some of whom were just passing through. [/QUOTE] “But, but, Daisy, can’t you stay?” “No, Donald, I must migrate, it’s my nature. See you next year. (sniff)” ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ducks-quack-at-night/402661/13 "2007-05-03T21:38:40Z")
[QUOTE=NurseCarmen] … but sometimes a lone duck would wander around quacking. [/QUOTE] Perhaps he was looking for Tonto? [QUOTE=NurseCarmen] Loons call often at night. [/QUOTE] That’s when Caller ID comes in handy. ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ducks-quack-at-night/402661/14 "2007-05-03T21:46:57Z")
“Sleep, damn you!” ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ducks-quack-at-night/402661/15 "2007-05-03T22:03:19Z")
Thanks **Wile E** Somebody _had_ to pick up on that straight line. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ducks-quack-at-night/402661/16 "2007-05-04T01:55:13Z")
“But…the duck _didn’t_ quack in the nighttime.” “THAT was the curious incident!!!” ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ducks-quack-at-night/402661/17 "2007-05-04T02:12:55Z")
Maybe it was just the echo of a day quack on a VERY distant surface. Geese, btw, make excellent guardians as they will make quite a ruckus at any intrusion. I know nothing about ducks. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ducks-quack-at-night/402661/18 "2007-05-04T02:15:30Z")
[QUOTE=Sapo] Geese, btw, make excellent guardians [/QUOTE] One of those bastards bit me when I fed him at the zoo at the tender age of three. Nasty geeses, we hates them… ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ducks-quack-at-night/402661/19 "2007-05-04T04:14:16Z")
How do we get down off this thread? ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ducks-quack-at-night/402661/20 "2007-05-04T04:19:22Z")
You get down from a goose. (When I get a goose, I need to climb down from the ceiling.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ducks-quack-at-night/402661.md?page=2)