If you took a look at a group of ducks you probably notice a strange behavior, you might have seen some of them bob their head up and down.
Why do they bob their head? Ducks do this because they want to show off. When they bob their heads, it looks like they’re trying to get the attention of a potential mate. They also bob their heads to show that they are happy to their peers.
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Why Ducks Bob Their Head?
It’s a natural behavior. It’s often done by males and females both as a form of courtship. When they see a potential mate nearby, they showcase themselves by bobbing their heads.
In addition, the male duck will step forward, lift his chest, and bow to the female. When he does this, he lifts his head up and down as if it were a nod of approval. This is a way of showing that he is happy and confident with himself.
The bobbing also happens when they are among their peers. They might bob their heads to show that they are happy or pleased with each other. Ducks often show their emotions by bobbing their heads in one direction or the other.
A group of ducks bobbing together looks like a group of cheerful and affable people wearing matching hats.
It is also useful for ducks when they want to look smaller than they really are – particularly when they’re threatened by predators such as owls, foxes or coyotes. If ducks bob their head down, it makes them appear smaller on the surface and less threatening to predators lurking nearby ready to pounce on them because they think that they’re vulnerable prey animals ready.
Why My Duck Is Bobbing Its head When It Sees Me?
Well, your duck is simply displaying its affection towards you!
Ducks are affectionate animals, they are loyal to their owners and they will follow them around the house and garden. They also love being petted and stroked.
When they waddle towards you, it may seem like they’re coming over to investigate your intrusion into its territory, but this is rarely the case. Most of the time your duck will happily waddle over to you, bobbing its head all the way because it loves you even if it does not say so using human language!
Other Social Behaviors
- Flirtation
Ducks are known to engage in flirtatious behavior, they will flirt with any other species of animal or person if they find them attractive. Females will often use their flapper like wings to fan an area of water and make it look choppy, this puts males on notice that she is ready to mate so he’ll get off his butt and try to impress her by showing off his unique mating dance moves! Those are some serious dance moves for a male duck anyway – remember that most species of ducks have only one partner at a time. So the female duck chooses who fathers her eggs instead of letting the drake fertilize them all randomly from other drakes.
Whether you believe it is an intentional or unintentional expression of flirting is up to you, but either way, it’s quite a silly and amusing activity that even non-duck owners can enjoy.
- The Headstand
Other than the common bobbing head behavior some ducks engage in, there are also other exotic movements of the head as well. Ducks, like many other birds and mammals, will perform a ‘headstand’ if they find themselves in danger or just want to express their dominance over another animal. In these rare occurrences, however, there is something very important that you should know – if a duck performs this act, it usually signifies that the duck is not afraid of anything – it means they have never done this before and have a good chance of surviving whatever threat might attack them!
- Homing
Ducks will often return to their mates by swimming back to their original nesting spot! You might be surprised but even the most skilled duck racers have failed to follow it and waited until their ‘parents’ get back before chasing after them. You might also be confused as to why ducks would head back home as if they did not find their nest holes or eggs after leaving them, why would they then take a risk and swim back? It’s all about instinct – ducks have a strong homing ability that they use whenever they are separated from their mates – whether it is due to the death of the mate, a traumatic event, or even a natural disaster!
- Racing
As expected of any waterfowl species, ducks can also be incredibly fast swimmers. However, unlike their usual behavior of swimming with one or two single strokes in front of each other, the male ducks will often race each other by swimming side by side at a high speed! Being incredibly graceful in the water this unusual sight is actually quite spectacular, especially when compared to the usual swimming behavior of a duck.
- Dancing
Ducks are not entirely known to be particularly playful, but they can make quite a lot of noise while they swim. With the exception of the male mallard, female ducks will also often ‘dance’ in groups! Sometimes you may see a few ducks swimming into a group then make a turn and just do some turns or even fly over before swimming off again! This type of behavior is common for both male and female ducks and usually happens when the birds are excited about something or feel curious.
- Evading predators
Ducks are well known for their ability to swim fast, but this characteristic also has its downside – when chased by predators you need to be able to escape from them swiftly if you want to escape at all! Some of the more experienced duck racers have been known to use this trait against their opponents, as it allows them an opportunity to ‘out-swim’ the other competitor. A good way to do this is to swim towards another duck if you see that they are being chased by something!
- Stalking
You may have noticed that certain ducks are able to hide in the reeds, making it difficult for others to approach them. How is this possible? This is called stalking; it’s a behavior that only some ducks have been observed to use. You may have thought that this maneuver was only used against other ducks, but there have been recorded instances of predatory birds also attempting it on their prey! In order to stalk, a duck will try and move as close as they can to their prey without revealing themselves. Their body will then be flat against the turf and their head will be trying hard not to raise off of the water surface.
Conclusion
Ducks are social creatures, but they only bob their heads to communicate with each other, often between drakes and hens, but not exclusively, also to show excitement and joy to their peers or their human friend!
Credits: Pictures from Alexas_Fotos of pixabay.com
