Why are duck feet orange and Canada geese feet black?

BY LOREENA NIEUWENHOUT

"Why are duck feet orange and Canada geese feet black?"

Bright colours on birds are often used to look fancy so they can attract mates. Ducks like mallards have orange feet for courtship purposes. A vibrant bright orange or reddish orange means they are healthy and getting enough nutrients. Healthy mates are good mates! It means their babies are likely to be healthy and strong too. Mallard ducks do not mate for life, but choose new partners each season, so the orange feet are useful throughout their life to attract new mates every year. Canada geese do mate for life, meaning they usually only have one partner for their whole lives. They don’t need flashy orange feet to attract a mate every year, so black feet suit them just fine.