Females use it to express they are interested in courtship and stimulate the nearby males to display. Nod-Swimming: A male or female swims rapidly for a short distance with its neck held low, just grazing the surface of the water. Often given by groups of males to show off for females. Grunt-Whistle: A one-second display where the male raises out of the water, pulls his head up, and gives a remarkable whistle, followed by a grunt as he moves back into a normal posture. This alone, however, isn't enough information for accurate sexing. Male ducks also have a drake feather, which is a curled feather at the end of the tail. Girls have a loud honk, and boys have a quieter quack. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy designated Ancona ducks as critically endangered in 2015. The easiest way to tell if your Pekin duck is a male or female is by its quack. Their love of this breed by keepers has helped save them from extinction during the past decade. This is a quick gesture, often given by males in a group to impress the female. Ancona duck is a calm and multi-purpose duck breed that is popular with backyard keepers and large homesteaders alike. Head-Up-Tail-Up: With a loud whistle, the drake pulls his wings and tail up, shows off his purple-blue secondaries and compresses his body. This display is often repeated and followed by mating. Head-Pumping: Males and females rhythmically bob their heads. Most of the time they’ll probably be feeding or resting, but if they’re actively swimming around, watch for these behaviors. To see duck courtship in action, find a group of Mallards and take a minute to watch what they are doing. Courtship displays range from elaborate postures to subtle gestures that you may notice only if you are watching for them.Ĭommonly Seen Mallard Courtship Behaviors Read on for more details on this difference and. This is due to an actual physical difference between drakes and hens. The drakes sound is more of a whisper than the hen. Male ducks don’t produce that loud quack but rather they make a softer rasping or wheezing sound. These are ritualized behaviors- members of the same species perform the same display that is hard-wired into their genetic makeup. As it turns out the traditional duck quack is only made by the female duck. Some waterfowl species have some incredible courtship moves, such as the Head-Throw-Kick performed by Common Goldeneye and the Salute-Curtsy signature move of a Red-breasted Merganser. Groups of males perform for the female, and she picks her favorite drake with the best plumage and the best display. In waterfowl mating, it’s the female’s choice. Many waterfowl pair bonds form between the months of December and March on the wintering grounds or during spring migration, which is different from songbirds that find their mate after they arrive on their breeding grounds spring. Most species of ducks find a different mate each year.

Male pekin duck sounds