Ducklings

[Tengu]

We have a plague of the wee fellas on the loch.

Some are pretty well grown, others very tiny.

They scoot and run everywhere, and it must be hard for their mum to keep them in line.

One, sadly, has no mother and spends their time dodging bigger ducks.

How do their mothers recognise their own ducklings?

 

[TLM]

How do their mothers recognise their own ducklings?

So far I have have understood that the ducklings recognize their mother.

 

[Tengu]

But why does she peck at strange ducklings then?

 

[TLM]

But why does she peck at strange ducklings then?

Some mothers (species) maybe recognize their own better. Mergansers quite often leave their brood in care of others and one can see sometimes very large broods in care of only one older bird. Then she comes back and the previous caretaker goes to eat.

 

[Suffolkrafter]

I think birds are programmed to peck at chicks whose tweets they don't recognise. I've heard that if a bird can't hear it's own chick, through loud noise for example, it may then peck and kill it. Has anyone else heard this, or is it myth and legend of my own making?

 

[Robson Valley]

Ostriches establish a 'creche' with nannies to look after ALL the chicks in one big group.

Ducklings "imprint" on the first moving thing they see. That's usually Momma. Can be a human as well. Pretty funny on the local ranches = keeps the ducklings from running away.

 

[nigelp]

But why does she peck at strange ducklings then?

Does not want to waste energy feeding and caring for another ducks offspring. ’Survival of the fittest’

 

[Tengu]

 

[swyn]

Ours moved on to the neighbours lake ‘coz the pond dried out. This is of great benefit to the newts and hopefully lowers the leach population.
Next visitors will be the roving band of this years youngsters on their way to said lake.
20 or so of this years brood chaperoned by one Mrs duck!
S