Greetings,
About twenty years ago, while designing my first broadcast studio, I was told by an acoustic consultant that a duck’s quack will not produce an echo. Is this true and how does it work?
Thanks for the help.
Mac Wiley
The master speaks on the topic:
Anecdotal evidence.
I ocassionally visit a place called “Echo Lake” known for it’s impressive number of return echoes. Sure enough, when ducks congregate and quack away, it echoes like crazy.
I have to chime in here to say:
On several occasions I have had to duck (to avoid a thrown rock, a slap from Astrogirl, etc.) and have YET to hear an echo!
Just throwing that out for consideration… that’s all.
Someone’s reeeeaaaaaallllllyyyyy asking to be slapped and sterilized…
Slapped and sterilized… hmmm… sounds kinky! Bring it on!
Oh, by the way, welcome John!!
You’re confusing ducks with the Cygnus olor.
They’re the one that don’t produce an echo.
A Muscovy duck’s “quack” does not echo.
Fact.
FACT.
Huh? You guys serious?
Cite, please! Multiple cites, preferably…
Cygnus olor.
More commonly known as the mute swan.
http://neon.airtime.co.uk/users/cygnus/muteswan.htm
Yeah, I know. Nobody likes a smart ass.
I checked out your link…
Do these birds make NO sound? (the link didn’t say…)
If that is the case, you win.
They just “hiss.” Put [muscovy ducks hiss] into Google, and you’ll turn up lots.
Astroboy14
The mute swan also hisses, but very faintly. Certainly not loud enough to produce an echo.
But the question was in reference to ducks, so Mjollnir wins.
Tell him what he’s won, Johnny Olson.
Now, wait a minute, before you give away all those prizes.
Even if something just “hissed,” it would produce an echo. Just because it was too faint for you to hear, that doesn’t meant there wasn’t an echo.
Johnny! Grab those prizes.
And, I forgot to add–
Muscovy ducks do hiss, especially when cooked slowly over a spit. With their lower fat content, maybe they don’t hiss as loud, but they do hiss.