Ducks on Ice

Ever wonder why ducks can stay in ice water or on the ice and their feet don’t freeze? There’s a simple scientific reason for this. Basically the feet, which are not covered in feathers, have a counter-current heat exchange system between the arteries and veins in their legs which supplies the naked feet with blood which is cool, but just warm enough to keep them from suffering from frostbite.

On the edge?  Yes, but it works for ducks as the temperature of the feet is just a bit higher than the ice, so very little heat is lost from their feet.  Want more info on this?  Check out this article from Ask a Naturalist.