Bizarre Duck Behaviour

[Words]

I had the weirdest encounter to date with some local mallards (one was a hybrid) this morning. Three drakes were involved. Two of them were chasing a third along the road (next to a pond). They flushed their victim out from under a parked car, and then proceeded to takes turns (!) pinning him down and mounting him. They were quite aggressive, biting and grabbing his head, and thrashing him around.

The victim eventually staggered off looking much the worse for wear, while the aggressor pair just wandered off in the way that ducks do.

These are some shots... (the video file is too large to post)

[astarsdad]

Hi,

Just love the first photo, very funny!

Terry

[Crumble]

Unattached mallard drakes will often copulate (or at least go through the motions) with other drakes if they can't get to a female.

Similarly, groups of unattached drakes will descend upon an unsuspecting female en masse in what's known as a 'rape flight' where they fly in, force copulation after a chase, and clear off again. Several drakes will take turns or just all pile on at once, leaving the poor female battered.
I've read that they can actually drown the female if they are frenzied enough.

It's just how they do things.

[Words]

Crumble, thanks for that extra information. I wouldn't describe it as one of my more pleasant encounters with wildlife (it seemed so pointlessly aggressive), but interesting to see.

[Crumble]

It's how it has to be for them to propogate their genes, and it seems to have worked judging by the number of mallards and related species around the world.

I agree though, it isn't pleasant to witness. There are many human traits (not instincts, because we can choose to act upon them or not) that are far worse of course.

5 minutes spent watching the ducklings justifies all the other behaviours.

[freiston]

Originally Posted by Crumble

Unattached mallard drakes will often copulate (or at least go through the motions) with other drakes if they can't get to a female.

Similarly, groups of unattached drakes will descend upon an unsuspecting female en masse in what's known as a 'rape flight' where they fly in, force copulation after a chase, and clear off again. Several drakes will take turns or just all pile on at once, leaving the poor female battered.
I've read that they can actually drown the female if they are frenzied enough.

It's just how they do things.

My partner used to live where she had regular mallard neighbours. She witnessed such an event in which the female lost an eye.

[Words]

Originally Posted by freiston

My partner used to live where she had regular mallard neighbours. She witnessed such an event in which the female lost an eye.

Ouch. I hadn't appreciated just how rough things could get with mallards.

[Nutty]

We lost our rather lovely cockerel when an amorous drake jumped on the back of him and drowned him in a puddle

[Words]

Awww Nutty, the poor cockerel.

[Kreacha]

Originally Posted by Nutty

We lost our rather lovely cockerel when an amorous drake jumped on the back of him and drowned him in a puddle

How sad