Ducks have a wonderful coat of feathers, which is specially designed to keep them warm and snug in even the coldest weather. First of all, they have an undercoat of soft downy feathers, which grow very close together, and trap a ‘cushion’ of air next to the duck’s body. This stops the natural warmth of their bodies escaping into the cold outside. As for their top feathers, they protect these with a special oil which is secreted from a gland in their bodies. When you watch a duck preening its feathers, it is spreading this oil all over them, making its top coat of feathers completely waterproof. Neither water nor cold can penetrate the feathers from the outside, and the body warmth cannot escape through the down, and so the lucky duck stays warm and dry. Would you like a coat of feathers like that?