# Ducks and "handedness"
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-and-handedness/316520
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 10, 2005, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-and-handedness/316520 "2005-08-10T22:19:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@fotc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fotc)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2005, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-and-handedness/316520/1 "2005-08-10T22:19:08Z")
Do ducks have a “handednss” like people are left handed or right handed?
Today I was waiting for a friend and there were about 18 ducks asleep near me. There were several others around that were not asleep. I noticed a few things:
1. Some of the ducks (more than half), slept standing up with their bill tucked under a wing.
2. Of the ducks standing and asleep, most tucked their bill under their right wing. A few tucked it under the left wing.
3. Most of the ducks standing, asleep or no, stood on one leg. Further, it looked like they would stand on the leg opposite the wing they tucked their bill under.
So why do ducks tuck their bill under their wing? (warmth?)
Why would they stand on one leg?
Why would they stand on the leg opposite to the wing under which they tuck their bill? (balance?)
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### Author:  [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2005, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-and-handedness/316520/2 "2005-08-10T22:42:41Z")
No idea, but I have seen a group of ten or so white sulphur-crested cockatoos (Australian native birds) standing on a railing, and all standing on their right legs. Every last one of them.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2005, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-and-handedness/316520/3 "2005-08-10T22:45:43Z")
> [@fotc](#):
>
> Do ducks have a “handednss” like people are left handed or right handed?
Parrots have been shown to have handedness. Most species are mainly left-handed, a few mainly right-handed. I am not aware of any research on ducks, but it’s not impossible that they may have handedness.
> [@](#):
>
> So why do ducks tuck their bill under their wing? (warmth?)
Yes. The bill radiates more heat than the feathered part of the body.
> [@](#):
>
> Why would they stand on one leg?
Same reason. Also it keeps the foot out of contact with the cold ground.
> [@](#):
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> Why would they stand on the leg opposite to the wing under which they tuck their bill? (balance?)
You got it.
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### Author:  [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2005, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-and-handedness/316520/4 "2005-08-11T00:20:05Z")
Ah, but what I want to know is would a left handed duck’s quack echo?
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### Author:  [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2005, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-and-handedness/316520/5 "2005-08-11T00:37:24Z")
I have read that ducks can “sleep” with individual hemispheres of their brains.
This way, ducks can sleep in a line. The ducks in the middle are 100% asleep, and the ducks on the ends sort of sleep with one eye open and half their brains on alert. If a threat comes from the side they’re monitoring, they kick up a fuss and wake everyone up.
Cool.