Mallard eating egg

[DALE MILES 01]

I watched a Mallard fly onto the local pond with an Egg in its bill and then eat the contents on the water, it looked like a coots egg, is this unusual behaviour?

[astarsdad]

Hi,

It is the first time I have heard of a mallard eating an egg. I have heard of birds eating egg shells to replace minerals they have lost while laying their own eggs. I wonder if this has something to do with it.

Terry

[The Woodman]

It look like a fairly fresh egg by the "stringiness" of the albumen.

You were in a better position to ID the egg as from Coot than me but I wonder if the duck was eating an infertile egg of its own?

[DALE MILES 01]

Looked a bit small for mallards egg, I wish I had caught the picture when in flight, looked very odd, too small for Moorhen and too small for a ducks egg,