Watching ducks waddle around the barnyard and interact with each other is high entertainment on the homestead, and duck mating behaviors are no exception.
Ducks will bob their heads up and down or from side to side at one another to communicate different things but energetic mutual bobbing up and down during mating season is usually courtship behavior.
Key Takeaway:
Ducks bob their heads up and down in courtship displays to show interest and attract a mate. Ducks will also bob their heads in excitement. They move their head from side to side to establish dominance or show aggression.
The mating season typically lasts from December to March, and you will see lots of head bobbing.
Since duck eyes are fixed in the socket, they have to move their heads around to see better, leading to a bobbing motion.
To find out more about duck head bobbing, keep reading!
Duck Courtship Behaviors
Finding a mate in the natural kingdom is just as hard as in the human world.
Typically, in the bird world, the males have to show themselves as good mate material to attract a female.
They will display colorful feathers to show their health and claim territory, find a nest site, gather materials to show they are a good provider and do dances and special calls as part of elaborate courtship rituals.
Read more: Why do ducks have feathers?
Often, males will have to fight for the right to mate with a female during the breeding season.
To attract a female duck, the male bobs his head.
Then, he pursues her!
He will swim with his head outstretched and bobbing to show his interest.
He will also flick water to flirt with the hen.
Sometimes a drake will display his colorful secondary feathers as he comes out of the water by pulling his wings and tail up, contrary to his normal posture, while emitting a loud whistle and a grunt.
If the female is attracted to him, she will bob her head as well; it is a mode of communication among ducks.
This is all normal mating behavior and quite entertaining to watch.
Duck Mating Behavior
Less entertaining is the aspect of duck culture, which gangs up on the female and gives her no choice but to eventually submit to mating if several drakes are waiting for their chance to mate with her.
The process of duck mating is very aggressive and often unpleasant for new duck owners.
The hen will spread herself flat on the surface of the water or the shore.
The drake will mount the hen, bite the hen’s neck with his bill for balance, and dunk her head underwater if they are on the water.
Further Reading: Fertilizing Duck Eggs: The Process
Duck Dominance
A duck moving their head from side-to-side means they are showing aggression, either to warn other creatures away or to establish dominance.
Ducks will bob their head from side to side, bite, and bate their wings.
If it comes to it, they will engage in some serious fighting to see who gets to woo the female duck.
Broody ducks will bob their heads aggressively in a sign of dominance, telling other hens and duck predators to stay away from their nests.
Excited Ducks And Head Bobbing!
Ducks will show excitement by quacking and bobbing their heads up and down rapidly.
Ducks get excited about many things, chiefly treats.
If you fill their pool with clean water, your ducks may reward your efforts with head bobbing and happy chattering amongst themselves.
Birds Bobbing Heads Because of Their Vision
Because birds such as ducks, chickens, and pigeons cannot move their eyes within their eye sockets as humans do, they have to use head movement to change their field of vision.
Due to their eye placement on the sides of their heads, they cannot look forward at the same time they look to the side.
Ducks can keep their head still while their body is moving, known as the gyroscopic effect.
This effect enables them to stabilize their vision.
This is part of the vestibulo-ocular reflex, which is a reflex where the head and eyes remain fixed on a point as long as doing so isn’t too difficult for the body.
The ability to maintain their field of vision benefits ducks as prey and predator.
Head bobbing is a unique feature in birds – imagine a big jungle cat prowling while bobbing its head! – and is characteristic in a minimum of 8 out of 27 families of birds.
How Can You Tell if a Duck Is Happy?
Typically ducks get excited and happy when they go in the water or get a tasty treat.
A happy duck with lots of duck friends will quack in high-pitched tones and bob its heads up and down for up to 15 minutes.
Their overall demeanor will be energetic and pleased, and they will wag their tail feathers – it will be obvious to you that they are happy.
How Can You Tell If a Duck Is Stressed?
If you observe a quiet duck or a seemingly sad duck, there may be something wrong with them needing your attention because they are ordinarily very social birds.
One way to soothe a duck who is stressed by you holding them and taking them away from the flock is to offer their favorite treats, such as mealworms.
Some symptoms of a stressed duck are:
- Lameness (this is rare)
- Lethargy or listlessness
- Weakness
- Weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Always open, ruffled feathers
- Depression and disinterest in the normal goings on of the duck’s life
Any duck showing serious symptoms may need medical attention, so observe your ducks closely.
