Why doesn't a duck get wet in water?

Ducks have an oil gland. When you see a duck preening (which looks like it is cleaning itself with it's bill) it is spreading the oil onto it's feathers. Baby ducks' oil glands are not active until they are a few weeks old. They get their oil when a parent duck sits on them. This oil then prevents the feathers from becoming soaked, and they float. Swimming is an instinctive behavior for ducks. They do not have to be taught to swim, they do it as naturally as breathing.