All About Ducks Behavior – 32 Behavioral Facts I Must Talk!

Like humans, ducks have multiple behaviors that actually an indication of some message. All of them come due to natural instinct, social interaction, and environment. Besides, the breed and species have a great influence on the behavior.

Among various behavioral facts, I researched 32 types of behavior in ducks that are most common in them. Mostly, foraging, quacking, migrating, courtship behavior, head movement, swimming style, etc. are all about duck behavior.

This article is gonna focus on the behavior I saw in them as a researcher and pet owner. To explore, go a little further to have a clear understanding as a pet duck owner.

All About Ducks Behavior – How Many Types Of Behavior Ducks Show?

Each duck has distinctive behavior and personality. So, you cannot say all of them are the same in behavior. Some of them seem happy, some are depressed, and sometimes they look quite aggressive.

However, I’ll talk about all of them to give a clear understanding of 32 types of ducks’ behaviors.

1. Ducklings Imprinting

Right after hatching, ducks mean ducklings expect their mother or caretaker when they open their eyes. It’s what we call duck imprinting. With sensitivity, ducklings try to imprint on their mother or owner or can be siblings. It’s within 12–36 hours when baby ducks emerge from eggs and stay for 14 days.

2. Natural Foraging

Ducks have an instinct to forage for food sources. They are known as opportunistic waterfowl who look for aquatic plants, worms, grubs, or other diets in nature. In the case of geese, they’re grass foragers where dabbling ducks go underwater to have some free meals.

If they’re in the backyard, let them roam around the land, garden, yard, or even in the pond. They may even forage near dirt or mud to get some bugs or insects. 

Such foraging behavior helps keep physical and mental health in good condition. It basically helps them to have some exercise to use their brain and senses to find food.

3. Drinking And Feeding

Ducks are aquatic omnivore animals, so feeding and drinking are common behaviors in them. Mostly, you’ll see Mallards as dabbling ducks are feeding on the surface of land or water.

Ducks grab some food, and they put their mouth or dip their beaks to get some water. They do it to digest their food, and this behavior saves them from choking hazards.

However, it’s not always good to let them have food and water. As a poultry or domestic duck owner, feed them with a balanced diet.

Whatever food you serve, ensure they have at least 14% to 20% protein. But other nutrition also carries a similar importance. When it’s ducklings, niacin and protein together ensure their growth. And you have to make sure they’re having it, as baby ducks can’t forage like the matured ducks.

Related Reading:

• What To Feed Ducks
• Do Ducks Need Water

4. Bottom-feeding

I often see ducks, especially the dabbling one who eats while turning upside down. They do it to reach the food source on the pond or lake.

This unique way of feeding by tilting their bodies forward is rarely seen, but they do. Interestingly, you’ll see their front half submerged while the back end stays above water. And they can go 20″ deep underwater.

5. Quacking Behavior (9 Different Types)

Ducks are quacking birds, so it’s another common behavior in them. They usually quack to communicate to show happiness or distress or while in a mating mood. 

But there are variants in their quacking style, and all of them carry different meanings. Here is a table with different styles of quacking and their meaning.

Related Readings:

• Why Do Ducks Quack at Night
• Why Do Ducks Sleep On One Leg

6. Shunning

Shunning is another behavior in ducks, especially in male ducks. What they do is ducks try to chase or bite the shunned flock member. It usually happens when ducks stay in a congested coop.

It’s a problematic behavior that can also cause food scarcity. Such behavior is also seen when drakes try to compete with female ducks for mating. Sometimes, the newcomer ducks become the victim.

7. Shivering

The way we shiver, ducks show the same behavior when they are cold and in an icy environment. You may also see ducks shaking their body. It can be due to a cold or some related issues. You may see mostly the wild ducks suffering as they lack shelter. So, they fall into the trap of extreme cold as well as rainstorms.

But the cold season can help them to generate heat as well. However, you may see ducklings shivering as they don’t have thick feathers like adult ducks. So, ducks have such behavior rarely, but baby ducks are common. You may also see the baby ducks chirping and shivering.

8. Flying and Flightiness

Ducks usually fly a lot, mostly seen during the migration period. It’s a normal behavior as a bird.

However, expert flyers like mallards become airborne within seconds due to predator attacks. Also, when they are kept as domesticated ducks, they lose their flying ability, so they try to walk fast when frightened.

9. Seasonal Molting

Ducks go through a molting period periodically. It happens during late spring and early summertime. It’s a shedding and replacing feather time for ducks. 

I discovered female ducks keep some feathers to keep the clutch of eggs warm at the same time. However, the common matter is they become vulnerable and sometimes flightless.

10. Migration

Ducks have a common behavior of migrating by flying. It happens due to the scarcity of food and water. Duck’s migration behavior is about adaptation and strategy to find food, water, and comfort location.

Ducks don’t show such behavior until fall and when it’s August or September. They start it during fall from September to November, just before the wintertime.

11. Mating and Courtship Behavior

Flirting, attracting, and mating are part of Courtship behavior, mostly from mid-February to mid-July or during wintering ground. It’s a physical act of reproduction that you can see mostly near the water or on land.

When they mate, the female flattens out like a surfboard, and the male climbs on her back. Drakes grabs the back of her head or neck with his bill to help him balance.

When they are in the mood for mating, the flock of ducks near the female to attract the hen (Female ducks). It’s kind of a violent act. But domestic male ducks don’t follow the monogamous relationship that male geese do. They pick the female that keeps them more attracted.

However, mating behavior in ducks is different as they do it based on opportunity. Females just show an eagerness for mating.

12. Incubation

Incubating eggs and keeping them warm is a female duck behavior until they hatch. You may also see them leave their nest for food and drink.

13. Brooding Instinct

Ducks brooding is another common behavior in them. Broodiness is considered a condition where female ducks prefer nesting. It basically happens in the wild as domestic one loses this instinct. Presently, an incubator is used to hatch ducklings.

14. Becoming Territorial

Ducks often show territorial acts during breeding time. They defend the territory just to keep the female duck near him. They often show this behavior to prove their alpha male characteristics.

15. Temperament and Aggressiveness

Aggressiveness comes in ducks due to multiple reasons, although they are known as cold-blooded creatures. Either Ducks become aggressive to compete for mates, or they try to attack predators or prey. I see them having physical confrontations, chasing, pecking, or even biting with the teeth-like structure called lamellae.

On the other hand, female ducks become aggressive to save their eggs or ducklings. Often, ducks show such behavior when they’re in pain. However, the aggressiveness in domestic ducks is quite low.

16. Pacing or Circling

Pacing and circling is a sign of restlessness or anxiety. Sometimes, they do such behavior when they need food sources or search for nesting areas. Also, Circling can be a flirty behavior as well.

17. Being Social

Ducks are social creatures by birth. They try to stay with their mates, and they don’t like being alone, so they are stressed without them.

When it’s about geese, they are socially living in harmony within themselves and even with companions like other animals. In water, they congregate in groups, what we call paddling.

You’ll also see ducks having a gregarious nature, like flocking or herding instinct. That’s why you see them in groups and foraging together. It also keeps them safe from predator attacks and to find food easily.

Related Reading: Do Ducks Mate For Life

18. Sleeping Time

Often, you see ducks sleeping with one eye open. They do it to stay active from any potential threats from predators while they are resting. Surprisingly, they have 360-degree vision with 340 degrees watching around.

Ducks basically have 2 halves to control the brain and a single eye. One for rest and the other to remain alert. However, ducklings sleep with all eyes closed as they find their mother is the savior.

Ducks settle themselves for rest or sleep, which is another related behavior we call roosting. You see them doing so usually in elevated spaces like trees. Interestingly, ducks may close their eyes with their heads tucked under their wing. It’s something they do for warmth.

Recommended Reading: Why Do Ducks Stand On One Leg

19. Unique Swimming Facts

Ducks or waterfowl swimming behavior has some unique facts. They spend almost half of their time in water swimming with their webbed feet.

According to Academia notes, Muscovy ducks need less cooling than Peking ducks because of their origins in South America’s tropical climate. On the contrary, Pekin ducks require water to maintain their body temperature because they’re from cold regions.

However, if you notice them in water, ducks commonly swim and float in a circle or a straight line. Surprisingly, ducks even swim in circles alone, which indicates a lot of things, such as:

1. Mating and courtship behavior
2. Acting social
3. Creating a vortex in water to bring food to the surface
4. Territory marks
5. Becoming playful.

20. Ducks Floating

People often ask about how they float. Well, they have oil glands that keep the body waterproof, so the weight doesn’t affect and they remain floated.

21. Bathing

Ducks bathing is another part of their behavior. They take baths playfully to remove dirt, parasites, or excess oil from the body. Although they’re messy birds, they prefer to keep themselves fresh, too. 

22. Grooming and Preening

Right after swimming in the water, ducks preen their feathers. It takes around 15 minutes. They may rub their heads and all over their body. What they actually do is distribute natural oil on the feathers to make them waterproof and keep the plumage in good condition. 

If you do not know, ducks, as meticulously clean birds’ tails, have a preening gland that helps to stimulate to leave oils. Notable beneficial facts from here are keeping buoyancy and insulation.

23. Dabbling and Submerging

Ducks dabbling or tipping are other behaviors you see in the water. By submerging the body in water to forage for food sources from water is their job. They use their bills to filter out aquatic plants, invertebrates, or small fish.

24. Diving Underwater

You may wonder why ducks dive underwater. Well, they do it for food sources, but not all of them show this behavior. Mostly, dabbling or diving ducks dive underwater to pick some foods such as:

• Plants
• Grasses
• Seeds
• Fish
• Insects
• Worms
• Small mollusks, mussels, or amphibians.

Mostly, ducks swim underwater for a short distance, like one or two feet. But seaducks or diving ducks like Eiders, Mergansers, or Long-tails go too deep to forage for food sources. Here is a video you may love.

25. Head Dipping

You may see the head dipping of ducks, which is an underwater behavior. They do it to keep the nostrils, feathers, and eyes clean. Although they start with heading dipping, they end up incorporating the entire body.

26. Blow Bubbles

The poultry ducks blowing bubbles in the water is another behavioral fact. Ducks simply dip their heads and breathe out that develop bubbles. It happens when they’re cleaning, fed, feathers, or stuck dirt in the nostrils.

27. Tilt And Bob Heads

Ducks tilting can be a normal behavior that actually indicates ducks are trying to have a better view. They may do it for food sources or to become alert from predators. However, they tilt their head also when eating or swimming.

On the other hand, Ducks bob their heads either up and down or over to the side. Up and down indicates love and affection. Also, it can be for flirting or when they are quite happy to remain satisfied. 

For example, they have tasty treats and fresh pools, and the companions are quite friendly. Or maybe they don’t have any predator threat.

But bobbing head over to the side is something else that indicates female ducks’ common behavior. It’s something you can say out of jealousy; female ducks try to warn other females to stay away from their male ducks.

28. Wag The Tail

Another duck behavior that indicates different meanings. For example, ducks may wag their tails due to reasons like –

1. Ducks are trying to dry off their tails after completing swimming.
2. They may show their excitement or happiness by wagging their tails (Similar to a dog’s tail wagging). It’s when they get some delicious treats like fruits (Berries, Apples, Bananas, Melons, etc.).
3. Duck’s tail wagging can be part of courtship behavior to attract female mates.
4. Sometimes, wagging tails can help them cool off during the high heated temperature days.

29. Walking In A Line

Ducks walk in line to scan from side to side with their eye placement. They do it to remain safe from predator attacks. If you have experienced it, you know it’s kind of like a duck parade.

30. Dig Holes

Ducks are messy, like chickens who dig holes in the puddles. They just use their bills to dig holes near wet, soil, or mud areas. Usually, they look for food sources like insects the most. Whether they are in the garden or in the wild, the behavior seems the same.

31. Fence Climbing

I see drakes climb on fences, but it’s not their common behavior. So, if you see them doing so, it must be because of an unusual situation like getting attacked by predators. They try to save themselves!

32. Suspicious Behavior

You may also see some suspicious activities in ducks that possibly indicate some meanings. For example –

• Ducks remain seated, sleeping, or uninterested in foraging for food.
• Labored breathing in them.
• Discharge coming from eyes or nose.
• Sneezing or puffy cheeks.
• Leg deformities like bow legs or bowed tibia may cause the foot to turn inward.

However, such conditions need the vet’s attention. They’ll check and provide the best treatment.

6 Behavioral Differences That Set Wild Ducks Apart From Backyard Ducks

Wild ducks and domesticated ducks both have similar traits, but there are some differences in how they behave. Check the different facts in them.

1. Wild ducks are only foragers, so they eat whatever they confront. But domestic ducks rely on what they are fed.
2. Wild ducks are mostly migratory, whereas domestic ducks stay in a fixed environment.
3. Wild waterfowl have more nesting behavior than domesticated ones.
4. Ducks in the wild are much more social than domestic ones as they belong to nature. On the other hand, domestic ducks are social with human interactions.
5. Wild ones are strong, flier birds than domestic ducks. It happens as domestic one forget to fly because of staying in a fixed location.
6. Wild ducks are more active and aware of predators. Whereas domestic ducks are less vigilant as they think the coop is safe and secure.

Final Words

So, I’m done with “All about ducks behavior,” which we mostly notice in them. The most notable ones are foraging, quacking, migrating, courtship behavior, head movement, and uniqueness in swimming. These behaviors indicate happiness, stress, hunger, affection, and many more.

So, I hope you can be a more sincere duck owner, as you know almost all the behavioral facts in them. However, when considering wild ducks, they have more activeness and awareness in nature. So, domesticated ducks may lack all the features and behaviors that you see in wild ones.

Sources & References:

• https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/22/magazine/how-to-imprint-ducklings.html
• https://blog.meyerhatchery.com/2022/04/duck-molting/