If someone asks you think of an image of a mother duckling and her babies you’re likely thinking of a big mother duck and a number of small baby ducklings following her.
This following seems instinctual to baby ducks, but why do they do this? This article explores why ducklings follow their mother
Why do ducklings follow their mother?
A duckling following its mother is commonplace. The reason why ducklings follow their mother is because of a phenomenon in the animal kingdom called imprinting.
When ducklings first hatch they don’t immediately know that their mother is their mother.
Once ducklings open their eyes they will accept the first moving object that they see as their mother. This is called imprinting, imprinting is what creates a bond between the mother and her ducklings.
The ducklings will imprint and attach themselves to their mothers during the sensitive period which spans the first few days of life, after this period, and after the imprinting, the duckling won’t attach itself to anything.
If the duckling doesn’t attach itself to anything then it will not imprint on anything
Usually, the first moving thing that a duckling sees is its mother, this is nature’s way of making sure that ducklings become attached to the mother and not to something else
Imprinting what causes ducklings to follow their mother around, or rather follow whatever the duckling perceives as its mother around.
Once the bird has imprinted bird will follow their mother nonstop, without any doubt in their minds. This is helpful as ducklings follow their mom who will provide them with food, water, and safety during their young life.
The imprinting also helps the ducklings understand what they themselves are. This imprinting needs to happen during critical times of development so that the bird can learn about being a duck from its mom.
The ducklings will share the bond with their mom until they can take care of themselves
Ducks don’t only imprint on living objects, ducklings can imprint on moving objects as well, some birds will even imprint on inanimate objects like balls and electric trains
Why do baby ducks follow you?
Reasons why baby ducks follow you include:
Imprinting:
Ducklings will follow you if they think that you are their mother.
If a duckling imprints on you, if you’re the first moving thing that the duckling sees once it hatches from its egg, then the bird will imprint on you and follow you around as though you are its mother.
This is common for ducklings that you hatch yourself where the mother is not in the picture and is common in cases where the duckling hatches but the mother disappears and the baby birds see you first.
If you don’t want a duckling to imprint on you, then you’d need to make sure that you aren’t the first moving object that the bird sees after hatching.
A duckling needs to live amongst its own kind, the bird imprinting on you won’t allow the bird to fully do that
Looking for treats:
If your duckling is following you around, but you weren’t the first moving object that the bird sees, then the bird may simply be following you around because the bird associates you with getting treats.
Cats and dogs are the same way, the bird may associate you with treats and follow you every time you come around
Keep this from happening with your ducklings by not giving the duckling treats when it comes to you
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other duck related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: How Does A Mother Duck Feed Her Ducklings?, Why Do Mother Ducks Kill Their Babies?, Duckling Wobbly, Baby Duck Throwing Head Back, Duckling Laying On Its Back
