Which bird family contains ducks, geese, and swans?

Which bird family contains ducks, geese, and swans? The answer is Anatidae.

Anatidae is the biological family commonly known as the waterfowl family. Its members occur on every continent except Antarctica and include familiar birds such as mallards, domestic geese, mute swans, eiders, and mergansers. The family contains roughly 174 living species in dozens of genera.

Ducks, geese, and swans are grouped together because they share evolutionary relationships and adaptations for life around water. Many have webbed feet, broad bills, dense insulating plumage, and specialized feathers that help keep their bodies dry. Some species migrate thousands of kilometres, while others remain in one region year-round.

A common mix-up is treating every water bird as an anatid. Loons, grebes, coots, and flamingos are not members of Anatidae. The family is part of the larger order Anseriformes, which also includes the distinct magpie goose family, Anseranatidae.