Five Little Ducks

Five little ducks went to play
Wibble wobble, wibble wobble to and fro
But the one little duck
With the feather on his back
He led the others with a quack, quack, quack.
Quack, quack, quack
Quack, quack, quack
He led the others with a quack, quack, quack.

The following lyrics are also called "Five Little Ducks," but this version has a different tune, and no music has been located for it.

Written by Dorothy Aldis (Copyright Unknown)

Five little ducks
Went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother duck said
"Quack, quack, quack, quack."
But only four little ducks came back.

Four little ducks
Went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother duck said
"Quack, quack, quack, quack."
But only three little ducks came back.

Three little ducks
Went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother duck said
"Quack, quack, quack, quack."
But only two little ducks came back.

Two little ducks
Went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother duck said
"Quack, quack, quack, quack."
But only one little duck came back.

One little duck
Went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother duck said
"Quack, quack, quack, quack."
But none of the five little ducks came back.

Sad mother duck
Went out one day
Over the hill and far away
The sad mother duck said
"Quack, quack, quack."
And all of the five little ducks came back.

Alternate verse

Five little ducks
went out to play
Over the hills and far away
Papa duck said,
"QUACK! QUACK! QUACK!"
Five little ducks came swimming back.

five little ducks playing, swimming in the sun

For Parents

You may remember images of ducks and other wildlife covered with oil after the Gulf Oil Spill in 2010. Volunteers and workers pitched in on the clean‐up. But what might that have done to their health? NIEHS is leading a long-term research to understand the effects on clean-up workers and volunteers.

For Kids

Do you like ducks (and other web‐footed friends)? How about becoming a wetlands ecologist? Learn about what a wetland ecologist does and how to become one from Dr. Lief Sigren.

For Teachers

The Duke University Superfund Program’s Learning Barge is considered the world’s first floating wetlands classroom, powered by sun and wind and equipped with live wetlands to study. The program has provided opportunities for students, with a focus on fourth‐graders, as this article about the "Learning Barge" describes.

For Teachers

L'Oie Toulouse? Qui, Moi?
About three years ago, a white Canada goose (Branta canadensis canadensis) or perhaps an imposter appeared on our NIEHS campus.

For Teachers

Being Single is "Not for the Birds"! – Canada Geese
This update is for those of you who are still young enough to remember. The White Goose (WG), known around campus and in the local press, as Toulouse, has spent many hours at NIEHS over the course of 4 plus years.