Living with Urban Mallards
- Mallard with Ducklings - Jim Cruce
It is a common and somewhat harrowing sight to see a duck leading a string of ducklings across a busy road or through the middle of a highly urbanized area.
Many of the calls we receive during the spring and early summer are from people who want to know "Why are they here?" and "How can I help them?" The following are some answers to the most common spring waterfowl questions:
A duck is incubating eggs in my backyard, parking lot, porch, balcony, etc. How long will she be here?
Mallards incubate their eggs between 26-30 days. Males typically desert after the first week of incubation and the female is left to complete the process and raise the young.
Mallard ducklings are precocial, meaning that they are able to feed and move about on their own within minutes of hatching. They are, however, dependant on the mother for guidance, protection and waterproofing. She will typically lead them to appropriate habit within a day of hatching and they remain with her for 42-60 days.
Why do mallards sometimes nest far from water?
Mallards look for nesting locations away from likely predators. In urban environments this may include raccoons, coyotes, dogs and cats. Urban parks are typically over-populated with ducks and females may also look for nesting locations away from drakes (male ducks) that may attempt to copulate with them even after egg laying. It is not uncommon for ducks to nest as far as a mile from water.
What should I do if I see a mallard with ducklings?
Once the young hatch, mallards will lead their young to water. Sometimes this requires traversing a hazardous route. It may require crossing roads. Although it is tempting to try and "rescue" the ducklings, it is important to allow the mother to continue to care for her own young.
In situations where it is safe to do so, humans can try and stop traffic to allow the ducklings safe passage. Otherwise the mother duck should be left to care for and lead her own young.
Attempts to capture the young and transport them to "safer" locations frequently cause the mother to "spook" and fly away. Ducklings will often scatter and can be very difficult to catch. Although well meaning, attempts to interfere usually make a bad situation even worse.
What should I do if I find a lost or abandoned duckling?
Ducklings frequently become separated from their mothers. If the mother is believed to be nearby, it is best to leave the duckling alone. It will "peep" and alert the mother to its whereabouts.
If the mother has been spooked and has left her ducklings behind, they can be gathered and placed into a cardboard box with the top open to the sky. She will usually circle back shortly to relocate her ducklings.
Lone ducklings may also be transported to nearby wetlands. Attempt to locate other ducklings the same age and size (no bigger) and place the lone duckling in the water nearby. They will usually swim over and be accepted into the group.
What should I do if I find an injured or malformed duckling?
Ducks typically have between 8-10 young. Most of those will not survive to adulthood. Birth defects and developmental problems are common in ducklings.
Those that are not thriving are left behind so that the mother can focus on those with the best chance. Injured ducklings can be brought to the Wildlife Care Center.
However, these types of problems are typically not "fixable" and deformed and badly injured ducklings are usually euthanized.
Why do the males attack the females?
"Drake Rape" is a common occurrence in urban parks. Several males may attempt to copulate with a single female at the same time. Oftentimes this leads to injuries along the neck and back and legs.
In extreme cases it can lead to death from either trauma or drowning. This behavior is associated with over-crowding and it is exacerbated by the fact that the large domestic ducks that are often found in parks are bred for food rather than for survival and are not built to escape.
Why is there so much color variation in our park mallards?
Many ducks found in parks are abandoned domestic ducks (and their off-spring) that have been bought at pet and feed stores and then released into the wild.
Releasing domestic ducks into the wild is illegal and punishable by both fines and jail sentences. It is also inhumane as these ducks typically have a difficult time surviving and exacerbate the over-population problems that already exist in urban parks.
Wildlife Care Center Duck Intake Policy
The Wildlife Care Center accepts injured adult mallards for rehabilitation. Our goal for healthy native mallards is to rehabilitate these birds and return them to the wild.
In cases where ducks are clearly domestic, donors should be aware that these are "abandoned" domestic animals that require not only treatment but also a permanent captive home. Donors may take direct responsibility for these animals themselves.
If transported to the Wildlife Care Center, they will be treated and placed in permanent captive situations as resources allow. It is possible that domestic ducks will also be euthanized.
Generally for healthy "lost" or orphaned ducklings, we recommend that you attempt to foster them back into the wild. This can be accomplished by transporting ducklings to nearby wetlands or ponds and locating ducklings approximately the same age and size (no larger.)
Mother ducks cannot count and ducklings placed nearby will usually swim over and become adopted into the group. Care should be taken not to "overload" a single mother.
Also be aware that this does not always work and it is possible that ducklings will be rejected or even killed by the mother duck. Although success is not guaranteed, being raised in the wild by a wild duck is their best chance for survival.
The Care Center is more likely to accept orphaned and lost ducklings early (before May 10th) and late (after July 25th) in the season when surrogate mother ducks with ducklings may be more difficult to find.
See our page on Feeding Waterfowl.
