Duck in Hot Wea

[Quackalack]

We've been having some unusually hot weather these past couples days, mid to high 80s. One of my ducks has been choosing to sit by himself in "his spot" during the hottest part of the day, even though it's in the hot sun. He's opening and closing his mouth like quacking but no sound. If I disturb him, he will move and go join his brothers (who are sitting in the shade), but if I leave he will go right back there. He doesn't do the weird mouth thing in the shade and when the sun starts setting he acts normal again.
Should I trust he knows what he wants or should I confine him to a shadier area of the yard? I've been spraying him off with a hose from time to time, too and he seems to enjoy that. I put water near his spot but he doesn't touch it.

Here's a short video of his mouth moving.

 

[ProudRedneck]

Ducks pant like dogs do so, that's what you're seeing in this video is him panting. That's why he doesn't do it in the shade and when the sun starts going down and it gets cooler.

Is there enough room for everybody to be in the shade comfortably without being on top of each other? It could be that his flock mates are not letting him share the shade and "his spot," as you call it, is as close as they will let him be if he is lower in the pecking order

 

[Miss Lydia]

Just what I was thinking.

 

[Quackalack]

Ducks pant like dogs do so, that's what you're seeing in this video is him panting. That's why he doesn't do it in the shade and when the sun starts going down and it gets cooler.

Is there enough room for everybody to be in the shade comfortably without being on top of each other? It could be that his flock mates are not letting him share the shade and "his spot," as you call it, is as close as they will let him be if he is lower in the pecking order

I thought it might be panting but wasn't sure. There is plenty of space in the shade and usually they nap near each other. There has been some fighting and attempted mating type behavior between my three drakes. He's not on the bottom of the pecking order, but maybe he just got sick of the fighting and separated himself for a bit. Even then, there's lots of other shady spots he could have chosen.