Urban Duck Family Behavior, Juvenile Survival, Social Conflict, Catfish Risk, and Grey Heron Preening

Eastern Spot-billed Duck families (Anas zonorhyncha) living along an urban river provide valuable opportunities to document duckling development, parental care, juvenile independence, social interactions, predator avoidance, and habitat use. This unedited wildlife observation follows several individually identified duck families at different developmental stages, from young ducklings less than three weeks old to juveniles more than 50 days old.

The recording captures multiple examples of urban wildlife behavior, including ducklings resting without their mother immediately beside them, interactions between unrelated duck families, competition for shaded resting sites during hot weather, insect predation by ducklings, juvenile wing development, rapid downstream swimming, a possible encounter with a large catfish, and unusual social behavior involving older orphaned juveniles. A Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) is also recorded performing extensive feather maintenance and preening.

Because several Eastern Spot-billed Duck families occupy the same stretch of river, individual identification is important for following survival, brood-size changes, movements, and long-term development. These observations form part of a continuous field record of urban river wildlife and waterbird ecology.

Wildlife Species Recorded

Eastern Spot-billed Duck

Scientific name: Anas zonorhyncha

Japanese name: カルガモ

The Eastern Spot-billed Duck is a dabbling duck widely found in East Asia and one of the most familiar breeding waterbirds in urban rivers, ponds, irrigation channels, and wetlands in Japan. Females raise the ducklings without regular assistance from males. Ducklings are precocial and can swim, forage, and follow their mother soon after hatching.

This video documents several broods at very different developmental stages. Their behavior includes resting, swimming across the river, insect feeding, interactions with unrelated juveniles, social aggression, wing development, and increasing independence from the mother.

Grey Heron

Scientific name: Ardea cinerea

Japanese name: アオサギ

The Grey Heron is a large wading bird distributed widely across Europe and Asia. It feeds mainly on fish, amphibians, crustaceans, insects, and other small animals around rivers, wetlands, lakes, and agricultural areas. In this recording, a Grey Heron uses a familiar riverside resting location and performs unusually acrobatic feather preening.

Great Cormorant

Scientific name: Phalacrocorax carbo

Japanese name: カワウ

The Great Cormorant is a large piscivorous waterbird frequently observed on Japanese rivers. It is an efficient underwater pursuit predator that feeds primarily on fish. One appears briefly near the Eastern Spot-billed Ducks during the later part of the observation.

Catfish

Order: Siluriformes

Japanese name: ナマズ類

Large freshwater catfish occur in many Japanese river systems and may occupy the same shallow and slow-flowing habitats used by duck families. A possible catfish-related disturbance occurred during this observation. The fish itself was not captured clearly on camera, so the identification should be treated as observational context rather than confirmed footage.

Lesser Emperor Dragonfly

Scientific name: Anax parthenope

Japanese name: ギンヤンマ

The Lesser Emperor is a large predatory dragonfly commonly associated with ponds, rivers, and wetlands. An adult Eastern Spot-billed Duck was observed capturing a large dragonfly believed to be a ギンヤンマ. Adult ducks are opportunistic omnivores and may consume aquatic invertebrates, insects, seeds, and plant material.

Moth or Similar Flying Insect

Order: Lepidoptera, identification uncertain

Japanese name: ガ類の可能性

One duckling reacted rapidly to a small flying insect blown onto the water surface and consumed it. The exact species could not be identified from the footage. Such observations demonstrate the active predatory feeding behavior of young dabbling ducks.

Observation Diary

00:00 – Highlights

The video opens with a selection of scenes from throughout the observation.

03:19 – An unidentified juvenile Eastern Spot-billed Duck

A juvenile duck was observed that appeared similar to an individual previously identified as Ue. Two juveniles were present on opposite sides of the river, making direct comparison difficult.

At this time, I was also searching for three duck families regularly seen in this area: サe7, キe2, and ケe1.

04:47 – A single duckling, initially identified as ケe1-18

One young duckling was moving repeatedly between the opposite bank and the concrete river structures. At first it appeared possible that the duckling was lost.

Its darker facial pattern made identification difficult. I considered both ケe1 and one of the キe juveniles, but later observations helped clarify the situation.

05:21 – Juvenile crosses the river

A juvenile crossed the river. Initial visual impressions suggested an older Ue juvenile, but subsequent observations indicated that the younger ケe family was involved.

06:09 – ケe mother resting on the concrete structure

The mother had actually been present nearby from the beginning, resting on top of the riverside concrete structure.

This illustrates an important difficulty in field observation: a duckling may appear temporarily unattended even when the mother is resting only a short distance away.

07:04 – キe mother also located nearby

Another mother, キe, was found close by, although her ducklings were initially hidden by vegetation.

At approximately the same time, duckling calls could also be heard farther upstream. The サe family had entered the same general area.

Three different duck families were therefore occupying a relatively small section of river simultaneously, making individual tracking unusually difficult.

08:25 – キe2 confirmed safe at 23 days old

Both juveniles in the キe brood were confirmed.

08:53 – ケe1 mother wakes and crosses the river

The ケe mother became active and moved toward the opposite bank.

09:20 – サe brood remains reduced to six ducklings

The サe family was observed with six ducklings at approximately 12 days old.

The previous morning, seven ducklings had been recorded. The brood temporarily separated into groups of two and five, and later only six could be confirmed.

The status of the seventh duckling remained uncertain.

10:18 – Passing close to a resting キe juvenile

One of the キe juveniles was encountered sleeping without its mother immediately beside it.

This initially looked surprising, but the mother had apparently landed nearby at the end of the vegetation-covered area.

Older ducklings frequently show greater independence than very young broods.

10:48 – Dark juvenile feathers developing

One of the larger キe juveniles was beginning to show dark developing feathers around the wing and shoulder region.

I normally associate this visible stage of plumage development with slightly older juveniles, approximately 25 days or more, although individual growth rates vary.

The two siblings have also shown a persistent size difference, which may contribute to the apparent difference in feather development.

11:52 – サe6 approaches the sleeping ケe juvenile

The six サe ducklings approached the resting ケe juvenile.

The ケe duckling moved away, producing a chain reaction among the birds using the resting site.

12:16 – A サe duckling charges toward ケe1

One of the サe ducklings rushed directly toward ケe1.

The ケe mother responded with a threat display, causing the approaching juvenile to retreat. The サe mother then became involved in the confrontation.

Although the interaction was worrying to watch in real time, none of the ducklings appeared injured.

One possibility is that the young サe duckling temporarily approached the neighboring family as if attempting to associate with them. Whatever the motivation, the event provides an interesting example of social recognition and inter-family interaction among young Eastern Spot-billed Ducks.

13:25 – サe6 occupies another resting site

The サe juveniles moved toward another favored resting area on the opposite bank.

Two other ducks that had been displaced moved across the river.

During very hot weather, shaded riverside resting locations can become important microhabitats. Multiple duck families may compete for the same limited areas that provide shade, shallow water, shelter, and easy access to feeding sites.

15:15 – サe6 finally settles down

After repeatedly moving through other birds' resting places, the brood finally appeared ready to sleep.

Even the particularly restless juvenile eventually settled.

15:34 – Duckling captures a moth-like insect

A small flying insect, possibly a moth, was blown onto the water.

A duckling immediately detected the movement and captured the insect from the surface.

Young Eastern Spot-billed Ducks are active omnivorous foragers. Even very small ducklings will opportunistically hunt aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates.

17:11 – ケe1 relocates to another small island

After being displaced from the earlier resting site, the young duck moved to a different small island before departing again.

18:51 – ケe1 approaches the sleeping キe2 juveniles

The ケe juvenile moved toward the resting キe juveniles.

The キe mother still appeared to be away from the immediate resting location.

19:38 – Larger キe juvenile responds to ケe1

The larger キe sibling reacted to the approaching juvenile, apparently with a mild threat or territorial response.

ケe1 then retreated.

Interactions between these particular juveniles have repeatedly appeared unusually mature for their age, including previous one-to-one confrontations.

20:38 – サe6 resting

The six サe ducklings were finally sleeping.

This location is also associated with repeated attempts by duck families to climb nearby vertical structures, so I continued to watch the site carefully.

The seventh サe duckling was still unconfirmed.

After successfully locating the three principal families in this section, I moved downstream.

24:01 – Ue2 located with their mother

Two older juveniles were found together with their mother.

Lighting conditions were strongly backlit, but the family was still documented for continuity.

25:18 – Ue2 at approximately 55 days old

The juveniles performed wing-flapping behavior and jumped onto the bank.

At this age, developing wing feathers and flight-related movements become increasingly noticeable.

These juveniles are approximately the same age as the We5 brood, allowing useful comparison of physical development and behavior between families.

26:35 – We5 located at approximately 55 days old

The five We juveniles were found farther downstream.

Seeing Ue2 and We5 consecutively was useful because both broods are at similar developmental stages.

They remained relatively inactive during this section.

27:46 – Difficult identification of another possible family group

A group containing at least one clearly smaller juvenile was observed, but identification was impossible.

The presumed adult female was undergoing molt, reducing the usefulness of familiar plumage markings. Additional females were also present nearby.

One female strongly resembled the previously identified ウe mother.

The ウe2 family, expected to be approximately 43 days old, had not been observed in its usual upstream area since August 1.

This raised the possibility that the family had moved downstream.

Seasonal movement between different sections of the river is an important part of these long-term observations. Some families remain within relatively small territories, while others make substantial movements as the ducklings grow.

29:34 – A familiar family returns

While checking a known resting area used by エe捨3, another family appeared.

The three juveniles strongly resembled コe3, a family that had previously left this immediate area.

Their return was unexpected.

30:04 – コe3 confirmed safe at 18 days old

All three ducklings were present.

The family moved rapidly downstream, passing a small island where they had previously rested, and immediately began foraging in vegetation.

31:22 – エe捨3 also confirmed safe at 43 days old

While following コe3, I heard familiar calls very close to my position.

The three older エe捨 juveniles were directly below me.

All three were together and apparently healthy.

32:27 – Mother accidentally steps on a duckling's bill

During close family movement, the コe mother accidentally placed her foot on a duckling's bill.

The incident was brief and the duckling continued normally afterward.

Such accidental contact is common in tightly grouped broods and illustrates the physical complexity of maintaining cohesion in crowded environments.

34:22 – エe捨3 begins swimming downstream

All three older juveniles departed together.

I widened the camera view to document the surrounding river structure.

This particular area has repeatedly been associated with difficult climbing attempts by duck families.

Several broods recorded here have suffered substantial reductions in duckling numbers.

Earlier in the season, エe was first encountered in this area with nine ducklings. Another brood, Ve, later disappeared completely.

Duck families have also been observed in nearby agricultural areas in previous years, suggesting that successful passage is possible, although I did not document it directly here this season.

35:50 – コe mother captures a large dragonfly

The mother captured a large dragonfly believed to be a ギンヤンマ, Anax parthenope.

During the pursuit, she moved ahead of her ducklings.

The juveniles temporarily fell behind.

36:11 – Mother waits and ducklings catch up

The mother stopped and waited.

The separated ducklings approached while calling and successfully rejoined her.

This is a good example of brood cohesion maintained through a combination of visual tracking, vocal communication, and maternal waiting behavior.

37:28 – Disturbance immediately after a possible catfish encounter

A sudden disturbance occurred immediately after what appeared in the field to be an encounter between the mother and a large catfish.

Unfortunately, the fish itself and the initial confrontation were not clearly captured.

The subsequent behavior was recorded.

The ducklings temporarily climbed out of the water and waited, while the family remained concentrated near the bank.

All three ducklings were confirmed safe afterward.

Large predatory or opportunistic fish can represent a potential risk to very young waterfowl, although direct predation events are difficult to document and the exact nature of this encounter cannot be confirmed from the footage alone.

38:17 – コe3 resumes movement

After spending several minutes relatively stationary in vegetation, the family suddenly departed.

Because this section of the river frequently contains large catfish, I continued recording for an extended period.

No obvious prolonged alarm or vigilance behavior was detected.

41:00 – コe3 suddenly departs again

The family resumed downstream movement.

Because エe捨3 had also traveled downstream earlier, I followed the same direction.

41:53 – コe3, other ducks, and エe捨3 converge

Several ducks were resting around a small island.

Initially I focused on the most visible birds, but later review suggested that エe捨3 had been concealed in vegetation on the left and may have followed コe3 into the area.

The approach itself was unfortunately missed.

43:12 – Grey Heron performing acrobatic preening

A Grey Heron was resting at a location where I had observed one previously.

The bird performed extensive feather maintenance, twisting its body into unusual postures while preening.

Preening is essential for maintaining feather condition, removing debris and parasites, aligning feather barbs, and distributing preen oil.

Repeated use of the same location suggests that this area may function as a favored resting or maintenance site.

43:46 – エe捨3 associates with another duck

The three older juveniles remained close to another duck without obvious aggression.

45:38 – Juveniles follow a departing duck while calling

When the other duck departed, the エe捨 juveniles vocalized and followed it.

This behavior is particularly interesting because these juveniles have been observed living without their original mother.

Persistent calling and social attraction toward unrelated adult ducks may provide insight into how orphaned or abandoned juvenile waterfowl maintain social contact after losing parental association.

46:17 – コe3, エe捨3, and another duck together

Both identified groups were present near the same unrelated duck.

The continued vocal behavior of エe捨3 is unusual based on my previous observations.

There were no clear aggressive displays.

I attempted to compare the adult's wing plumage with historical records of the original エe mother, but strong backlighting and vegetation prevented reliable identification.

Based on previous observations, I currently consider it unlikely that this was their original mother.

48:17 – We5 moves upstream through a tributary

The We family began moving through the same tributary used the previous day.

I hoped to document another climbing sequence, but the family stopped to forage along a wall.

49:25 – Close observation of We5 juveniles

The five juveniles were filmed in detail.

I attempted to compare facial coloration with other similarly aged broods, including Ue juveniles.

There may be slightly warmer or more reddish facial coloration in some We juveniles, but lighting and viewing angle make this unreliable as an identification feature.

50:25 – A single unidentified juvenile above the weir

A lone juvenile was found upstream of the weir.

Its body size appeared clearly smaller than the approximately 55-day-old Ue juveniles.

No obvious known family matched its age and location.

Based on current records, the approximately 43-day-old エe and ウe juveniles are among the closer possibilities.

The earlier observation of a female strongly resembling the ウe mother below the weir makes this particularly interesting.

If the upstream ウe family is no longer present in its previous location, it may indicate movement across the larger river system.

Further observation is required.

51:09 – Great Cormorant and Eastern Spot-billed Ducks

A Great Cormorant appeared in the river.

The キe mother had returned close to her two juveniles, which were still resting.

51:55 – Strong personality differences between siblings

The two キe juveniles showed noticeably different behavior.

One appeared more active and socially assertive, while the other remained quieter and more withdrawn.

Repeated observations of the same individually identifiable brood can reveal persistent differences in temperament and activity level that are easily missed in isolated wildlife footage.

53:31 – サe and ケe families located again

The サe family was visible farther away, while another nearby juvenile appeared to be ケe1.

Closer observation confirmed the identification of ケe1.

54:22 – Only five サe ducklings can be counted

I attempted another brood count.

Only five ducklings could be confirmed visually before the family moved farther into shaded vegetation.

Because six had been confirmed earlier, the missing juvenile may simply have been concealed.

Continued observation on the following day would be necessary before concluding that another duckling had been lost.

End of the Observation

The most encouraging result of this day's observation was confirming that both エe捨3 and コe3 were still safe.

At the same time, the changing number of visible サe ducklings remained a concern.

The possible reappearance of the ウe mother in a downstream area was unexpected and may indicate another family movement that needs to be reconstructed from later observations.

Older broods such as Ue2 and We5 were also confirmed, while several families had already reached developmental stages where survival and independence appeared much more stable.

Individual duck-family identification records:

https://okasinaikimono.blogspot.com/2024/08/0810e.html

Why I Preserve These Unedited Wildlife Records

On YouTube Shorts, I mainly introduce remarkable moments involving Eastern Spot-billed Duck families and other forms of urban wildlife. These short videos are designed to make unusual natural behavior easier to watch and understand, and they often use editing, music, sound effects, slow motion, or selected cuts.

However, edited wildlife footage alone cannot fully show what happened before and after a dramatic moment.

I personally tend to question highly edited animal videos when there is no longer recording showing the surrounding circumstances.

For that reason, the short wildlife scenes I publish are generally extracted from recordings like this one: long periods of patient observation in which the animals are simply allowed to behave naturally while the camera continues recording.

These unedited recordings provide the original context and evidence behind the edited videos.

I have accumulated more than 1,000 days of date-based wildlife recordings. Individually, many of these videos may appear uneventful, repetitive, or inconvenient to watch. Taken together, however, they document daily changes in individual duck families, brood survival, juvenile growth, seasonal movements, interspecific encounters, river conditions, urban habitat use, and unexpected wildlife behavior.

I believe that a continuous archive of this kind can become valuable observational evidence over time.

My primary subjects are Eastern Spot-billed Ducks, especially mothers and ducklings living in urban river environments, but the recordings also preserve incidental observations of fish, herons, cormorants, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and other wildlife sharing the same ecosystem.

These videos are not presented as controlled scientific studies. They are field observation records created through repeated, long-term documentation of the same habitats and, whenever possible, the same individually identified animals.

I know that long, unedited recordings are not always easy to watch. Nevertheless, I hope this archive may be useful to other people interested in ducks, waterbirds, animal behavior, urban ecology, ornithology, wildlife documentation, and long-term natural history observation.

🦆Raw Bird & Wildlife Footage | No BGM🌍️

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7dTQKKqrPzZpmfSA98tn9tXWfkp1jBB

Observation Notes on Ducklings and Wildlife Video Link: Watch on YouTube Filmed using a Nikon P950 super-telephoto compact digital camera. This footage documents wild birds, ducklings, and other creatures for personal records. It is unedited and serves as notes for future video editing. The raw footage may be suitable as background natural sounds while working. For timestamps and detailed observations, see below: Highlights and Observations (Timestamps) 00:00 - Highlights (Unordered) A quick overview of key moments from the footage. 03:19 - Duckling Spotted? Two ducklings observed on opposite banks. Unable to capture both in a single frame. 04:47 - One Chick Identified: Ke e1 (Day 18) Observed near Tetopo and the opposite bank, seemingly lost. Later identified as Sa e1. 05:21 - Ducklings Cross the River Observed movement of ducklings from Ue (55) to Ke e (18). 06:09 - Resting Mother Ke e's mother was seen resting on Tetopo since the morning. 07:04 - Ki e's Mother Nearby Unable to spot chicks in the bushes. Chicks' calls were heard upstream. 08:25 - Ki e2 (Day 23) Safe Confirmed the safety of Ki e2. 08:53 - Ke e1’s Mother Wakes Up She headed to the opposite bank. 09:20 - Sa e Down to Six Ducklings (Day 12) Numbers fluctuated, starting with 7 in the morning, splitting into two groups, then stabilizing at 6. 10:18 - Passing Ki e2 Chicks Surprised to find the chicks sleeping alone. 10:48 - Signs of Growth Ki e2's older sibling showing black feathers, indicating rapid development. 11:52 - Interaction Between Sa e6 and Ke e1 Sa e6 approached the sleeping Ke e1, leading to playful behavior. 12:16 - Sa e Chick Attacks Ke e1 Sa e’s chick mistook Ke e1 for family, resulting in some tension between mothers. 13:25 - Sa e6’s Mischief Continues Sa e6 disrupted the sleeping area across the bank. 15:15 - Sa e6 Settling Down? Sa e6 appeared ready to sleep, alongside other ducklings. 15:34 - Chick Preying on a Moth Chick reacted to a moth blown onto the water and successfully preyed on it. 17:11 - Ke e1 on the Move Ke e1 left the small island to another location. 18:51 - Ke e1 Approaches Ki e2 Ke e1 seemed to threaten Ki e2, leading to an adult-like confrontation. 20:38 - Sa e6 Resting (Worrisome Area) Confirmed the safety of three duckling pairs and checked downstream. 24:01 - Ue2 with Mother Observed Ue2 (Day 55) jumping to land. 26:35 - We5 Found (Day 55) Sighted another duckling, consistent with previous observations. 27:46 - Possible Molting Parent Observed a parent duck molting, making identification challenging. 30:04 - Koe3 Observed (Day 18) Spotted Koe3 rafting swiftly downstream. 31:22 - Ee Confirmed Safe (Day 43) All three chicks together and safe. 32:27 - Mother Steps on Chick’s Beak A comical yet harmless interaction between the mother and chick. 34:22 - Ee Family Moves Downstream The family relocated, a potentially risky area for ducklings. 35:50 - Mother Preying on Dragonfly The mother duck focused on catching a dragonfly, briefly separating from the chicks. 37:28 - Emergency Encounter with Catfish Observed the aftermath of a catfish attack. The chicks remained safe and rejoined the mother. 43:12 - Grey Heron Preening Feathers An acrobatic display by a nearby grey heron. 48:17 - We5 Climbing Tributary A fascinating climb, similar to previous behavior. 50:25 - Mystery Duckling? A small duckling, smaller than Ue siblings, observed on the weir. Identification pending further investigation. 51:55 - Kie2 and Personality Close-Up A close-up of Kie2 showing unique behavior. 54:22 - Sa e Numbers Drop The count for Sa e ducklings dropped to five. Summary This footage showcases various duckling behaviors, interactions, and environmental challenges. Some observations highlight the rapid development of chicks, family dynamics, and survival strategies against natural threats like catfish. For more detailed notes and symbols representing duck families, visit: Field Notes Blog.