In the families of birds, one of those with the largest number of members is the Water Fowl.
In this segment today, is the sub-group with the greatest number of members, the Ducks.
The feature that is being covered is the number of babies that members of the Duck family have during each clutch.
Most members have from nine to 14 eggs, though it could often be round the 10 mark.
As can be seen in the illustration of the Australian Wood Duck, there are 10 fluffy little chicks speeding along behind their parents.
The birds would have been in a hurry to lead their brood to the safety of the trees and grass on the island in the middle of the large lagoon.
Unfortunately, there are many predators in the vicinity, some in the sky above and some on the ground or in the water.
A lot of chicks could be lost out in the open.
On another day, we had stopped at the big dam at Mount Morgan where there is a lovely place for lunch.
A pair of Australian Black Ducks were wandering along the edge of the water accompanied by four chicks so they may have lost a few.
While on the Atherton Tableland, we stopped at a place that conducted boat rides round a large expanse of water that was nearby.
As we were listening to the commentary on the boat-ride, a parent Black Duck was leading about 10 chicks across the water which provided a highlight of the trip to all those on the boat.
There are a number of other Ducks whose egg totals range from four or five up to 14 or 15. These include the Freckled Duck, the Australian Shelduck, both Whistling Ducks and the White-eyed Duck.
