We humans can generally tell who is our child and who is not, but ducklings look the same to most people. So, how do their mothers tell them apart and know which ducklings are theirs?
This article explores how ducks know who their babies are
How do ducks know their babies?
A variety of animals can tell faces apart, this is an evolutionary trait that helped them remember who was good to them and who was not.
This is what you need to know when it comes to ducks knowing their babies:
Recognizing through sound:
If you’ve ever owned a duck then you likely know that these birds can recognize faces as well as sounds, and they use this trait to good use when it comes to their ducklings.
The parent ducks can tell who is their duckling and who isn’t by the calls that the ducklings make.
This not only helps them figure out who is who among their ducklings but this also allows them to recognize that it’s their baby if the baby is out of eyesight and is calling out.
This ability to tell their ducklings from others is quite evolved and precise.
It needs to be precise and evolved considering how mother ducks and even father ducks will not tolerate any ducklings who are not their own, getting too close to them.
The parents don’t want ducklings who aren’t theirs nearby as this means competition will be high for their own offspring.
The parent ducks may even go as far as killing ducklings in the area to allow their own offspring to thrive.
On the opposite end, the ducklings will imprint on their mother shortly after being born and this is how they know to trust their mother and follow their mother around.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Do Ducks Love Their Babies?, Duck Biting Other Ducks Neck, Can You Train A Duck To Attack?, How To Care For A Single Duckling, How Do Mother Ducks Protect Their Young, Abnormal Duck Behavior, Why Is My Duck Making Weird Noises