Duck Breeding Behavior
Waterfowl biologists refer to the mating behavior (courtship behavior as opposed to actual breeding) of ducks, geese and swans as "pair bonding". Many people know that geese mate, or pair bond, for life. After they pair bond the male and female stay together during nesting, and the young stay with the parents through the fall and winter. The young geese don't usually leave their parents or begin to pair bond until they are on the wintering grounds during their fist or second year. This means that, during the hunting season, most geese are still in family groups consisting of the male, the female, and their young.
Ducks, on the other hand, do not mate for life; they regularly form a pair bond with a new partner each year. But, the male and female don't stay together to raise the young, and the young don't stay with the females very long. The drakes of most duck species leave the hens as soon as they start to nest, or shortly after. The hens then raise the ducklings by themselves. During the summer the hens molt (which leaves them flightless); and the young ducks grow their first flight feathers and begin to fly. After the young ducks learn to fly they may no longer associate with the hen, and they are generally on their own.
Both young and old ducks then begin forming loose pair bonds from late summer through early winter. Pair bonding by older Mallards may begin as early as mid-August. Pair bonding by other puddle duck species may occur from mid-October through winter, and by divers from mid-winter through early spring. Pair bonding is often accompanied by aerial courtship flights and displays, and by calls that are associated with pair bonding behavior. As a reslt of this, ducks are not normally in family groups during the fall and winter; they are usually in flocks consisting of unrelated individuals and newly bonded pairs.
Duck Plumage
Because adult ducks (those over a year old) pair bond in the fall, the males often exhibit what is referred to as 'breeding plumage" in the fall, winter and spring. This breeding plumage is often the most colorful plumage they exhibit during the year. Since ducks often breed (as opposed to pair bond) in the spring, they continue to exhibit breeding plumage from fall, until after they have bred and nested in the spring. Male ducks often have what is referred to as "eclipse plumage" in the summer. Because the males cannot fly when they molt, they often exhibit colors resembling females, which are often brown or gray for camouflage purposes and to help them avoid predators when they are nesting.
Enjoy God's great outdoors,
T.R.
Waterfowl biologists refer to the mating behavior (courtship behavior as opposed to actual breeding) of ducks, geese and swans as "pair bonding". Many people know that geese mate, or pair bond, for life. After they pair bond the male and female stay together during nesting, and the young stay with the parents through the fall and winter. The young geese don't usually leave their parents or begin to pair bond until they are on the wintering grounds during their fist or second year. This means that, during the hunting season, most geese are still in family groups consisting of the male, the female, and their young.
Ducks, on the other hand, do not mate for life; they regularly form a pair bond with a new partner each year. But, the male and female don't stay together to raise the young, and the young don't stay with the females very long. The drakes of most duck species leave the hens as soon as they start to nest, or shortly after. The hens then raise the ducklings by themselves. During the summer the hens molt (which leaves them flightless); and the young ducks grow their first flight feathers and begin to fly. After the young ducks learn to fly they may no longer associate with the hen, and they are generally on their own.
Both young and old ducks then begin forming loose pair bonds from late summer through early winter. Pair bonding by older Mallards may begin as early as mid-August. Pair bonding by other puddle duck species may occur from mid-October through winter, and by divers from mid-winter through early spring. Pair bonding is often accompanied by aerial courtship flights and displays, and by calls that are associated with pair bonding behavior. As a reslt of this, ducks are not normally in family groups during the fall and winter; they are usually in flocks consisting of unrelated individuals and newly bonded pairs.
Duck Plumage
Because adult ducks (those over a year old) pair bond in the fall, the males often exhibit what is referred to as 'breeding plumage" in the fall, winter and spring. This breeding plumage is often the most colorful plumage they exhibit during the year. Since ducks often breed (as opposed to pair bond) in the spring, they continue to exhibit breeding plumage from fall, until after they have bred and nested in the spring. Male ducks often have what is referred to as "eclipse plumage" in the summer. Because the males cannot fly when they molt, they often exhibit colors resembling females, which are often brown or gray for camouflage purposes and to help them avoid predators when they are nesting.
Enjoy God's great outdoors,
T.R.
