All wildfowl are adapted to living on or near water. They have webbed feet for swimming and a broad bill for straining out food from the water. They moult or loose their feathers usually once a year in late summer. For one or two months until their new plumage grows, they cannot fly. In swans and geese the male and female look exactly the same. Male ducks, however, have a breeding plumage which is brighter and much more colourful than that of females or immature birds. Geese are found only in the Northern Hemisphere. The vast majority of them migrate between breeding grounds in the far north and the wintering grounds further south.
                  Ireland is a particularly good area for wildfowl as it is cool enough for some species to breed and mild enough in winter to attract visiting birds. In Ireland, unlike some other European countries, still has many undisturbed wetlands areas favourable to wildfowl. The Wexford Slobs, Rahasane Turlough, Lough Neagh, the Bull Island and the Shannon Basin are the Irish wildfowl haunts of international importance. Today, many of our wetlands are under threat of drainage as efforts are made to improve and extend farming land. One way to avoid this is by teaching people to appreciate the value and beauty of wildfowl. Maybe this book will help you to learn something about Irish wildfowl so that you can help to preserve them and their habitats for all to enjoy.

Mute Swans