What Does It Mean to Dream of Ducks?

Whether you associate ducks with hunting, cartoons, or their cute little families, you have come to the right place for learning to understand your dream of ducks.

Duck Dream Symbolism

Vulnerability

The phrase “sitting duck” refers to someone or something that is an easy target for attack. Grammarist explains that this term came into use during World War II to refer to military targets that were hard to defend. It was based on the experiences of hunters finding that “a duck that is sitting in a marsh or on the water is easier to hit than a duck that is in flight.”

Even flying ducks, however, are targets in the classic video game Duck Hunt. Dreaming of a duck can therefore symbolize that you feel like you are under attack and lack the resources to defend yourself.

Equanimity

Ducks have waterproof feathers, so water forms droplets on them instead of getting them wet. The saying “like water off a duck’s back” therefore refers to the ability to shrug off some insult or disruption without being affected by it, according to The Free Dictionary by Farlex.

Your dream of a duck could symbolize that you have the ability to discern which provocations are not worth getting upset about. Ducks often do look placid as they float on water, though there can sometimes be more going on below the surface.

Partnership

Ducks are often seen traveling in male-female pairs. Ducks Unlimited notes that ducks generally mate only for a particular breeding season instead of for life.

Dreaming of ducks, especially in pairs, could therefore symbolize that you are looking for partnership in your life. It could also refer to a situation where all of your friends are coupled up, and you feel like the odd one out because you are still single.

Goofiness

Ducks make a goofy noise that sounds like “quack,” and they are depicted as feisty but silly cartoon characters like Donald Duck and Daffy Duck. Rubber ducks are also a common bathtub toy.

If your goal is to be goofy and just have fun, a duck dream could show that you are on the right track. If you want to be taken seriously, though, your duck dream could reflect frustration that people are just laughing you off instead of intelligently engaging with what you have to offer.

The term “quack” referring to a bad doctor actually came from a Dutch word not related to ducks, according to Mental Floss. If you think of a duck when you hear “quack,” though, your duck dream could be playing on words to symbolize a situation involving questionable medical advice.

Common Duck Dreams

Dream of eating duck eggs

Duck eggs can be eaten like chicken eggs, though they are not sold in stores as commonly as chicken eggs are. If it is common for you to eat duck eggs, dreaming of duck eggs may just reflect your daily routine. Especially if you collect the eggs from a coop of ducks you keep, this dream could symbolize your confidence in your ability to take care of yourself, as noted in egg dream symbolism.

If you do not regularly eat duck eggs, dreaming of eating duck eggs could symbolize that you feel you need to pursue something outside your normal routine to nourish yourself.

Dream of ducks with ducklings

Whether they are on land or on water, ducks are often seen with a line of fuzzy little ducklings trailing behind them. Dreaming of ducks with ducklings could symbolize that you are interested in family life. You may be considering the possibility of having children, or you might feel responsible for children you already have.

In interpreting this dream, you might reflect on whether you see yourself most in the parent ducks or in the ducklings. Either way, this dream shows a clear leader/follower dynamic where the followers obey the leader. Seeing yourself in the role of leader could indicate that you feel responsible for others, whether they are members of your family or people you supervise at work.

If you see yourself more in the ducklings, this could refer to a situation where you accept someone else’s leadership in a parental way. You may tend to follow them without asking a lot of questions, and this could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on whether they have your best interests at heart.

Dream of feeding ducks

It is common for ducks to hang out at parks where humans congregate. They are drawn to humans who feed them bread, though National Geographic says that bread is not healthy for the ducks.

If you dream of ducks swarming around you as you feed them bread, this could symbolize a situation where you are popular but at some cost to others. You may be pursuing what gets you attention in the moment without thinking of its long-term consequences.

If you dream of feeding ducks healthy food, though, this could symbolize that you are interested in nurturing others and finding out their true needs.

Dream of hunting ducks

If hunting ducks is something you regularly do in your waking life, dreaming of hunting ducks could be processing routine events. A duck hunt that goes well in your dream may symbolize that you are achieving something that you feel good about.

If you do not regularly hunt, and you dream of hunting ducks, this could symbolize a situation where you feel pushed to become more aggressive than you are comfortable with. You may feel like you have to take advantage of someone who is vulnerable in order to meet your own needs.

See also gun dream symbolism, shooting dream symbolism, and killing dream symbolism.

Dream of ducks quacking at you

If you dream of ducks quacking at you, this could symbolize that there is a lot of chatter in your life. You might feel like there are many people around you, and it is hard for you to get peace and quiet when you need it.

You may be able to tell from the duck’s tone of voice whether the duck is friendly or angry. Regardless, if what you are hearing is quacking rather than talking, the effect could be similar to that of the unintelligible adults in the Charlie Brown animated cartoons: for whatever reason, you are not absorbing much content from what you are hearing.

Dream of a duck chasing you

If you dream of a duck chasing you, what did you do to provoke such a normally mellow creature? This dream could symbolize that you have overstepped boundaries to the point that others might push back against you.

Dream of a duck on water

Ducks floating on water look placid, but, if you look closely, sometimes you can see their webbed feet paddling under the water’s surface. Dreaming of a duck on water could therefore symbolize a situation where things are more complicated than they appear. It also calls to mind a saying attributed to Albert Einstein: “The definition of genius is taking the complex and making it simple.”

Dream of a duck walking on land

It can be jarring to see a duck just walking along on land, knowing that they are capable of more exotic things like flying or navigating water. When the occasion calls for it, though, ducks do walk on land.

A dream of a duck walking on land can symbolize that a simple approach is sometimes the best one. You do not need to feel guilty about not using some of your abilities if you are in a situation that does not call for them.

Dream of a duck flying

Ducks are safest from hunters and other predators when they are in flight. Dreaming of a duck flying could therefore symbolize that you feel like you need to keep moving in order to fend off some threat.

Conclusion

Ducks are quirky, but ultimately they are simple, family-oriented creatures. Your duck dream can therefore symbolize how you engage with the vulnerable side of your own life.