Usually, when a bird poops, you need to duck, but when it comes to a duck, you need to dance. Much like their kin the goose, these poop machines can turn the ground into a giant slip’n’slide.
Here’s everything you need to know about identifying and safely removing this fowl’s foul feces.
What Does Duck Poop Look Like?
Unlike non-birds, ducks and other fowl have a single orifice for all their waste. This is why their poop often looks like a nasty egg when it ends up on a sidewalk or your windshield. There’s a lot of variation in duck poop which can make it both easier and more difficult to identify, so let’s get right into it.
A Waterfowl’s Three Types of Poop
Waterfowl are rather notorious for having multiple forms of poop which are mixed in the rather short large intestine and cloaca. Here are the three types of healthy duck poop you’ll encounter.
Regular Poop
Duck droppings are a little different than many similar birds. How loose or firm the poop is directly correlates to how much water they’ve had. The droppings tend to be a mass with a white cap made of the urates and urine.
Unlike most birds, there’s often little or no sign of moisture around the poop as it’s more self-contained. A healthy duck can poop as often as every 7-12 minutes.
Cecal Poop
The ceca are two pouches that connect where the small intestine becomes the large intestine. They’re home to microorganisms that aid in digestion. Some digested food enters the ceca to ferment.
The resulting poop is a strong-smelling, pasty brown dropping with no urates. Around every 8-10 droppings will be a cecal dropping for ducks.
Broody Poop
A broody duck will hold her poop to avoid soiling the nest. As a result, she will have larger, smellier poops but less frequently than a non-broody duck.
Shape and Size
Duck poop tends to be coiled, but can also come out in broken tubular pieces or uncoiled. The size can also vary greatly depending on the type of poop and how much water they’ve consumed.
Color and Consistency
You can often tell what a duck’s eaten by the color of its droppings. The most common colors are green (lots of seeds and green vegetation), brown, or gray. However, berries can tint the fecal portion red, blue, or even black (the urine will remain a whitish color in a healthy bird).
The droppings will be somewhat greasy, with the firmness depending on the type of poop and how much water the duck has had (for regular poops).
What’s In It?
Ducks have a large diet. The coloration can give some clues of what they ate. However, the most common foods are vegetation, berries, and seeds.
Smell
It’s hard to miss the pungent smell of duck poop. Regular droppings are foul enough, but cecal poop is stronger with a different stench and broody poop is often downright chemical warfare.
Location
Wherever you find a duck, you’ll find their poop. They don’t discriminate.
Duck Droppings vs Other Animal Droppings
| Animal | Size | Shape | Contents | Odor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duck | Varies; often 1-2" long | Coiled, tubular, or uncoiled | Grass and other plant matter, seeds, berries | Pungent, especially cecal/broody poop |
| Bat | 1/8" to 1/2" long | Tubular, segmented | Insect debris for insectivores, seeds for fruit bats, or dried blood for vampire bats | Pungent, musky |
| Chipmunk | 1/4" to 3/8" long | Cylindrical with tapered ends | Berries, seeds, plant matter | Mild, earthy smell |
| Coyote | 3-5" long, 0.75-1.5" diameter | Twisted rope w/ segments, tapered ends | Fur, bones, seeds, grass, nuts, fruits, berries | Variable, can be strong |
| Domestic Cat | 1" long, 1/2" diameter | Segmented | Less likely to contain food remnants | Pungent, distinct odor |
| Fox | 2-3" long, 1/2" diameter | Rope-like or twisted, segmented, tapered ends | Fur, bones, or other prey remnants | Slightly pungent |
| Goose | 2-3" long, 1/2" diameter | Tubular, may spread due to liquid urates | Grass and other plant matter, berries | Usually mild |
| Mouse | 1/8" to 1/4" long | Cylindrical with tapered ends | Fruit, seeds, insects | Slight musky |
| Opossum | 1-2" long, 3/4" diameter | Elongated, tubular, slight curve | Fruits, insects, and other soft foods | Mild odor |
| Rabbit | 1/4" to 3/8" diameter | Round pellets | Plant matter/rouphage | Mild or no smell |
| Raccoon | 2-3" long, 3/4" diameter | Tubular, segmented | Seeds, berries, garbage, or debris | Mild odor |
| Skunk | 1-2" long, 1/2" diameter | Tubular, segmented | Seeds, insect parts, fur, or feathers | Slight musky |
| Snake | 1-12" long, 0.4-1.6" diameter | Smooth, oblong, soft or runny | Fur, bones, feathers, or other prey remnants | Faint odor to pungent |
| Squirrel | 3/8" long, 1/8" diameter | Oblong pellets | May contain traces of wood or nuts | Mild, earthy smell |
| Turtle | 1-4" long, 1/2" diameter | Cylindrical log or firm clump | Plant fibers, insect bits, urates | Mild to foul (fresh), little (dry) |
Duck Poop vs Goose Poop
These waterfowl cousins leave different calling cards that are easy to distinguish once you know what to look for:
- Size and Shape – Duck droppings are smaller, typically thumb-sized with a coiled appearance like a tiny Slinky. Goose droppings are significantly larger (2-3 inches long, ½ inch diameter) and more cylindrical, resembling mini logs with less coiling.
- Color and Consistency – Both have whitish urates, but duck poop shows more color variety based on diet. Goose droppings are typically brown, gray, or green with a greasy consistency from the urates.
- Distribution Pattern – Ducks scatter their contributions randomly. Geese are more prolific bombers, producing up to 2 pounds daily and depositing droppings every 12 minutes in concentrated areas.
- Impact Factor – While both can damage property and spread disease, goose droppings create more significant hazards due to their volume and size, turning lawns into mudslides and sidewalks into slip zones faster than duck deposits.
Is Duck Poop Dangerous?
Dangerous is a bit of an understatement, as more than 60 different viruses alone have been found in the feces of park ducks.
Parasites
- Cryptosporidium – This nasty parasite causes cryptosporidiosis, a disease that can cause cramps, diarrhea, fever, and even weight loss. In a few rare cases, it can even lead to death, although the body is able to fend it off on its own.
- Cercarial Dermatitis – More commonly called swimmer’s itch, this inflammation is caused by microscopic parasites burrowing into the skin. While not dangerous, it does cause a frustrating itchy rash that can persist for several days.
- Worms – Ducks are known to play host to a wide range of parasitic worms, including multiple species of roundworms, gapeworms, trematodes. and tapeworms.
Bacterial and Viral Diseases
- Avian Flu – This variant of influenza can still do the rounds, being dangerous to those with a weaker immune system and affecting many types of pets.
- Histoplasmosis – Caused by fungal spores found in bird and bat droppings, this respiratory illness can be totally asymptomatic, but for those with weaker immune systems, it can be quite dangerous..
- Salmonella – More commonly associated with undercooked food, salmonella is common in animal poop and can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, and other symptoms.
Property Damage
Just like other birds, duck poop is acidic and can damage paint or leave stains. They contaminate water features and turn your lawn to mud. If not cleaned quickly, the damage can become quite expensive to repair, not to mention the slip and disease risks.
What to Do If You Find Duck Droppings
While duck poop can pose some health risks, cleanup doesn’t have to be a hazmat operation. Here’s a practical approach:
- Consider blocking off heavily soiled areas if children play nearby, but for typical amounts, just proceed with cleaning.
- Use basic protection like gloves when handling the droppings. A mask is only necessary if you’re pressure washing dried droppings that might create dust.
- For cleanup, a garden hose works well for lawns, while a scrub brush and cleaner handle paved surfaces. Pressure washers make quick work of larger areas.
- Protect your property by adding bird deterrents. As the old saying goes, “What’s good for the goose is good for the duck” – or something like that.
- If ducks have contaminated small water features, consider draining and refilling them. Large ponds generally dilute waste naturally.
- When in doubt, call a professional. Like geese and seagulls, ducks are Federally protected migratory birds, so simply killing one is illegal.
Duck Poop FAQs
Can duck poop make my dog sick?
While duck poop contains potential pathogens, healthy dogs with good immune systems rarely get sick from occasional snacking on these droppings. Many farm dogs regularly consume duck poop without issue, though it’s still not exactly a recommended dietary supplement!
How often should I clean duck poop from my property?
Daily, if possible. The longer it sits, the more damage it can do (especially on wood decks, concrete, and painted surfaces) and the higher the health risk becomes.
Will coffee grounds deter ducks from pooping in my yard?
While coffee grounds might deter some garden pests, ducks aren’t likely to be fazed. They’re not picky about where they waddle or relieve themselves, so you’ll need stronger deterrents like reflective objects, decoys, or motion-activated sprinklers for these persistent poopers.
Can I use duck poop as fertilizer?
Yes, duck manure is a great addition to your compost pile and, unlike chicken poop, it’s not so “hot” that it will burn your plants if used in moderation. Still, it’s best to let it age or hot compost for a few months to knock out any lingering pathogens and make sure your veggies get only the good stuff.
Why do ducks seem to target my car specifically?
They don’t hate you personally, though it might feel that way! Ducks are attracted to reflective surfaces and may mistake your car for water, or they’re simply bombing whatever’s beneath their flight path. Either way, your paint job is collateral damage. Because their poop is acidic, it’s best to clean it off before permanent etching occurs.
Do ducks always poop in water?
Ducks are equal-opportunity poopers: water, grass, concrete, your welcome mat… no spot is off-limits. If a duck is there, odds are its poop won’t be far behind.
Morgan is a certified entomologist and pest control consultant and a member of the National Pest Management Association.
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