Unusual Duck Behavior: Mother Mounting Her Own Duckling (0824F Record)
📌 Observation Record
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Date of Recording: August 24, 2025 (0824F)
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Duck Family Code: シf6-37
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Location: Onda River, Kanagawa, Japan
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Camera Used: Nikon P950
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Species: Eastern Spot-billed Duck Anas zonorhyncha (Family Anatidae)
A Rare and Unexpected Scene
During long-term field observation of the シf6 family, I witnessed an extraordinary event I had never recorded in over six years of daily monitoring.
The mother duck climbed on top of her own duckling and began a sequence of movements that strongly resembled pre-copulatory pairing behavior: bobbing her head up and down rhythmically. While this sort of display can occasionally be observed in different contexts, what followed was astonishing—the behavior transitioned into what looked unmistakably like copulation.
The duckling lowered its posture in a receptive stance similar to that of a female during mating. At the same time, the mother bit the back of the duckling’s head to secure her position, a common feature of duck mating behavior. Another surprising element was that the female was on top, and even more remarkable, the participants were mother and offspring.
Possible Interpretations
It remains unclear whether this was truly an act of mating, or rather a form of mounting as dominance behavior. Similar head-bobbing and mounting have been documented among adult ducks, but capturing the full sequence—including the biting of the nape and postures resembling courtship—was a first in my observations.
Immediately after this event, the entire family began bathing together. This sequence is also familiar from other species: I have previously seen Eurasian Wigeon males and American Wigeon females engage in bathing right after copulation.
Whether this was dominance display, mistaken sexual behavior, or another form of social interaction, it certainly carries potential research value. For that reason, I have archived it carefully as part of the Rare Behavior Record Series.
Personal Field Notes
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This was the first time in over six years of nearly daily duck observations that I recorded such an event.
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While dominance mounting is a possibility, the preceding “pairing dance” and nape-biting posture are identical to true copulation.
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The rarity of the event, combined with its detailed capture on video, makes it an important behavioral record for future study.
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