Cataquack

"Those large-billed Cataquacks tend to be very territorial. So, when they spot an outsider such as yourself, they go wild! They'll run up and hurl you into the air, but they mean no harm."

- Noki

Cataquacks are easily angered duck-like creatures that first appeared in Super Mario Sunshine on Gelato Beach. When they get angry, they use their beaks to forcefully hurl Mario into the air. They can be both useful and dangerous. The blue Cataquacks are said to become nervous when confronted by strangers, but never want to harm them. However, the red Cataquacks will harm any strangers that are in their way. Their name may be based on the words catapult and quack, referring to their behavior and appearance, respectively.

Super Mario Sunshine
In Super Mario Sunshine, Cataquacks come in two colors, red and blue. The blue Cataquacks cannot damage Mario (unless he touches them directly), but the red ones can. The blue variety tends to be rather lazy and will fall asleep if left undisturbed. The red version is reportedly new to the area. However, as the game continues, more and more red Cataquacks are seen, as well as the number of the Cataquacks in general increases. In the end, only one blue Cataquack is remaining. By running into a Cataquack and getting thrown upwards, Mario can get high-floating coins. When sprayed with F.L.U.D.D., they turn over, and Mario can jump on them for an additional coin. When turned over, they will be stunned for a second, but when jumped on, they will be stunned for several seconds. If Mario sprays them over sand, then they'll naturally sink into the sand, eliminating the need for him to jump on them. However, they can only be truly defeated by Yoshi, or when getting catapulted into the air by the outburst of a nearby Dune Bud. In the eighth episode of Gelato Beach, The Watermelon Festival, Cataquacks have swarmed from the beach to the higher areas of the level. They hinder Mario from rolling the watermelon to the beach; when the rolling watermelon hits a Cataquack, it is thrown upwards and destroyed.

In the first episodes, Mario can get a Blue Coin by overturning the single red Cataquack and jumping on it, and in the last episodes, he can get a Blue Coin by doing so on the remaining blue Cataquack.

A sub-species of Cataquacks called Plungelos appear as mini-bosses also in Super Mario Sunshine, in Episode 2 of Gelato Beach.

In Sirena Beach, during the boss battle with King Boo, if he spins three question marks on the slot machines, he may spit out two blue Cataquacks. Strangely enough, they act like red ones and can hurt Mario.

Super Mario Galaxy
In Super Mario Galaxy, Cataquacks make a reappearance. Mario uses them to fling him to high or out-of-reach places. Only the blue variety is present in this game, found in the Gold Leaf Galaxy and the Beach Bowl Galaxy. Bees are seen to keep them as pets. In this game, they can only be defeated by luring them into the water, where they will vanish, but will reappear shortly after. If Mario spins the tail, they will be knocked out for a few seconds. Unlike in Super Mario Sunshine, Cataquacks are completely harmless in this game. For unknown reasons, Cataquacks never make an appearance in this game's sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Cataquacks are revealed to come in purple and green varieties, in addition to the other red and blue colors. The game also reveals that they are also known as Pihanas (which is similar to their Japanese name, Poihana). They can be found on Peach Beach. When a kart runs into them, the car is thrown upwards, stopping the drivers and making them drop their items. The Cataquacks can be knocked out by Green and Red Shells, as well as Thunderbolts.

Mario Kart Wii
This course reappears in Mario Kart Wii with the Cataquacks. In that game, exclamation points appear above their heads when they become aware of any passing karts. They also behave a bit differently when karts come through the beach in the Wii version. In the original version, Cataquacks would not bother karts that were on the stone path along the edge of the beach. However, karts on the path can be attacked by Cataquacks in the Wii version. On Wi-Fi Connection, they do not chase after anyone.

Trivia

 * Heave Hos from Super Mario 64 could have been the precursor to Cataquacks, in that both enemies attack by flinging Mario high into the air, which can be either useful or harmful, depending on the situation.
 * The Frackle and Wrackle from Super Paper Mario have a similar appearance to a Cataquack.