Volumes of the Respiratory and Circulatory Systems in Tufted and Mallard Ducks

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Abstract
Tufted ducks habitually dive for their food and may remain submergedfor up to 40 s. Mallards, on the other hand, merely upend themselves for a few seconds when dabbling. It was decided, therefore, to determine the size of the oxygen storage compartments in these two aquatic birds. Haemoglobin concentration, blood volume, and volume of the respiratory system are all significantly larger in the tufted duck than in the mallard. Myoglobincon centration in the pectoral and leg muscles of the tufted duck is similar to that in the locomotory muscles of terrestrial birds and mammals. Amounts of usable oxygen (at STPD) stored in the body were calculated to be 41.5 ml kg−1 for tufted ducks and 29.0 ml kg−1 for mallards. Note: