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See how and why the phrase got coined! Water falls on a rare White-winged Wood Duck's back and literally drips or rolls off, without wetting the bird. The wing feathers are so oily and thus non-porous that they don't allow water to permeate the inner feathers or linings of the bird's body... Proof of the saying being true... Remember the rain coat and gum boot manufacturer called Duckback? Now you know why it was so named! The white-winged duck or white-winged wood duck (Asarcornis scutulata) is a large species of duck, formerly placed in the genus Cairina and allied with the dabbling ducks. However, mtDNA cytochrome b and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 sequence analysis and the biogeographical pattern of distribution indicate that the anatomical similarity to the Muscovy duck is deceiving.
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