Why doesn't a duck's quack echo?

Question

At an information shed at a wildlife park it said that a Duck's quack does not echo and no one knows why. I find it hard to belive that there can be any sound that doesn't echo and even if it was true someone must have worked out why.

Answer 1

"A duck's quack doesn't echo" is a much HYPED scientific myth.

The quack does echo, but it is usually too quiet to hear. When you want to hear an echo, you usually make a very loud noise to make sure the reflection can be heard. But a duck quacks too quietly, so tfourhe reflection is too quiet to hear.
Ducks don't quack near reflecting surfaces. You need a large reflecting surface, a mountain or building for the sound to reflect off. Maybe ducks don't hang around reflecting surfaces.
It is hard to hear the echo of a sound which fades in and fades out.

Answer 2

I heard that on GMTV too - because it was Keith Chegwin I just assumed he was talking rubbish. I'm thinking that in order to check if a quack echoes, you'd need to take the duck to a cavernous place like a swimming pool or an empty room. That doesn't happen often now does it!? So how does anyone know for sure!?

Answer 3

Apparently it's a myth. I found a link about it:
"A duck's quack doesn't echo" is a much quoted scientific myth. . . .Recently, Salford Acoustics was the source of the story being presented in the national and international media when we proved that a duck's quack does echo as part of the British Association Festival of Science."

I'm guessing people thought duck's quacks don't echo because ducks live on ponds, and there usually aren't any large horizontal surfaces nearby to reflect the sound (like a brick wall). Who knows.

Answer 4

I just wanted to add this hilarious description of what was then cutting edge research in avian acousitics.

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_071.html

"Finally Shareen had an inspiration. She held the duck by his body so that he could flap his wings, and ran up and down the length of the courtyard hoping to replicate the experience of flying. So much for being discreet. Incredibly enough, this wacky stratagem worked. The duck loved it and quacked like crazy for a minute. Yes, the quacks echoed. This was heard by the three of us and by an unidentified East Lansing High School teacher who came out to make sure we weren't engaging in duck torture. I was able to record the event but didn't get a good sound recording of the echo itself. But I do have a dandy clip of Shareen running up and down with the duck. I call it my 'duck tape.'

Answer 5

It echos

Answer 6

it does echo

Answer 7

it does, they proved it on mythbusters