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Would a Mute Swan attack Mallard ducklings (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Peewit
- Start date
rokermartin
Well-known member
Yes i have seen Mute Swans attacking Mallards and ducklings also other birds.
Barred Wobbler
Well-known member
And other mute swans. And whoopers. The winter before last I was at Cresswell when four whoopers came in. The mute that was on the pond swam the entire width of the pond to get to them, and when it did it pestered the life out of them all over the pond until they flew off to get some peace (pics below).
On another occasion a spoonbill dropped in. Not for long.
A couple of years ago a rather tired kittiwake dropped into Cresswell Pond. Bad move. One of the resident mute swans killed it in no time at all.
They aren't the fluffy stuff of picture books that many suppose they are.
Having said that, I've picked a few up to save them from themselves and my arms remain unbroken, despite the old wives' tales.
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Jeff Hopkins
Just another...observer
Mute swans are vicious bastards. They'll attack most anything, including people.
Hi Kathy,
I watched a pair of Mute Swans harrass a pair of Canada Geese earlier this year. They were on a large pool and the geese tried to stay out of their way but for hours they chased them all over.
They left all the other birds, of which there was plenty, alone, and focused only on the poor geese.
Also last year I watched Moorhen attack and drown a Mallard Duckling. It was a deliberate attack with the duckling nearly escaping three times before the Moorhen finally drowning it then swimming off. So sad to see.
These are two examples of similar sized birds attacking each other. I dont think Mute Swans would feel threatened by such small foe, so I would think no, but nothing would suprise me as has been pointed out they can be vicious.
Ian
I watched a pair of Mute Swans harrass a pair of Canada Geese earlier this year. They were on a large pool and the geese tried to stay out of their way but for hours they chased them all over.
They left all the other birds, of which there was plenty, alone, and focused only on the poor geese.
Also last year I watched Moorhen attack and drown a Mallard Duckling. It was a deliberate attack with the duckling nearly escaping three times before the Moorhen finally drowning it then swimming off. So sad to see.
These are two examples of similar sized birds attacking each other. I dont think Mute Swans would feel threatened by such small foe, so I would think no, but nothing would suprise me as has been pointed out they can be vicious.
Ian
Melanie
Well-known member
A new case
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4562966/Swan-kills-helpless-duckling-EATS-video.html
But there are also cases that mallards prey on other birds
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1675/063.040.0212
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4562966/Swan-kills-helpless-duckling-EATS-video.html
But there are also cases that mallards prey on other birds
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1675/063.040.0212
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AlinoVegano
Well-known member
They still kill much, much less than humans.
I know you may be joking, but no bird is vicious (and only hybrids are bastards)
In Europe Mute Swan is an indigenous, fully protected species, and they are never attacking people (but rather defending their offspring), and they are not more "aggressive" than numerous other highly territorial species such as Ruby-crowned Kinglet and American Coot.
I'm aware of the fact that on your continent Mute Swan is an invasive species (just as Mink is here), so in that light I may better understand your blatant "swanism"
But I'm simply sick and tired of seeing animals bestowed with human traits:eek!:
Sorry for the rant, back to reading about yet another pair plus young of Red Kite being poisoned, because they're looked upon as "evil or destructive" birds taking the occasional Pheasant's chick (an invasive species here, if there ever was one....)
Peter
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"What a Vicious Bastard":
An amazing sight was when I once saw a female Mallard grab hold of a feeding House Sparrow on a lawn, and knock it to near death, only to drag it into the lake and finish it off by drowning it.
It did then continue to do something akin to actually swallow the corpse, but in the end grew tired of this task impossible.......
Peter
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dantheman
Bah humbug
I know may be joking, but no bird is vicious (and only hybrids are bastards)
In Europe Mute Swan is an indigenous, fully protected species, and they are never attacking people (but rather defending their offspring), and they are not more "aggressive" than numerous other highly territorial such as Ruby-crowned Kinglet and American Coot.
I'm aware of the fact that on your continent Mute Swan is an invasive species (just as Mink is here), so in that light I may better understand your blatant "swanism"
But I'm simply sick and tired of seeing animals bestowed with human traits:eek!:
Sorry for the rant, back to reading about yet another pair plus young of Red Kite being killed by poison, because they're looked upon as "evil or destructive" birds taking the occasional Pheasant's chick (an invasive species here, if there ever was one....)
Peter
Absolutely. It annoys me too when I hear people say a bird hit their car ... erm, no, your car hit the bird ...
On the 'protective behaviour' front watched a female Mallard swimming into land from the sea earlier this year with her newly hatched brood desperately trying to make it safely ashore behind her.
Herring Gull took one ... but the mother managed to grab the next by the upper wing. Came pretty close to getting drowned for its troubles. All the other Herring Gulls kept a pretty good distance for a while after that ...
AlinoVegano
Well-known member
We are so selfish and centered on ourselves that we forget the obvious. We are the worst invasive species, taking everything for us and we still claim blackbirds "steal OUR cherries", "wild boars eat our corn", "monkeys take OUR avocados" and so one.
Indeed, everyone would say "the deer crosses the road", no one says "the road crosses the deer's forest"...
Good one to remember:t:
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