Muscovy ducks kidnapping ducklings?

[Grapes and oats]

First off I do not own any ducks, just rabbits and cockatiels, but my area has a lot of muscovies. I've taken interest in the local moms and have been watching some nearby nest. Earlier this week 2 moms had hatchlings and so far and have seen some interesting behavior I want to know more about.

First I've witnessed a male Muscovy hunting down the group of ducklings and try and kill a straggler. I've assumed this is due to mating reasons, with the drake showing dominance over a rival brood. However, today I noticed that the number of ducklings has been changing.

When everybody hatched, one mother had 9 ducklings and one had 11. Now the one that had 9 has 4 and the one that had 11 has 17.

Can anybody help explain this behavior? Do muscovies kidnap? Is there something I'm missing?

 

[tlcmurphy]

Coparenting maybe? Interesting observation, I’d love to see how it turns out!

 

[AntiqueB]

This is an interesting question. I also don't have ducks, but I think I remember reading that Canada geese coparent. Maybe some ducks do, too?

Hopefully, duck people will chime in!

 

[The Moonshiner]

Yes some muscovies will kidnap any other ducklings they can.
Yes many will coparent.

And yes some will kidnap and also coparent with another one that has kidnapped. Exhibit A.....

I've also had one hatch her batch then take over another nest and hatch them a couple days later. Exhibit B....

 

[Grapes and oats]

This is an interesting question. I also don't have ducks, but I think I remember reading that Canada geese coparent. Maybe some ducks do, too?

Hopefully, duck people

First off I do not own any ducks, just rabbits and cockatiels, but my area has a lot of muscovies. I've taken interest in the local moms and have been watching some nearby nest. Earlier this week 2 moms had hatchlings and so far and have seen some interesting behavior I want to know more about.

First I've witnessed a male Muscovy hunting down the group of ducklings and try and kill a straggler. I've assumed this is due to mating reasons, with the drake showing dominance over a rival brood. However, today I noticed that the number of ducklings has been changing.

When everybody hatched, one mother had 9 ducklings and one had 11. Now the one that had 9 has 4 and the one that had 11 has 17.

Can anybody help explain this behavior? Do muscovies kidnap? Is there something I'm missing?

Thanks everyone for the comments. It does appear to be coparenting. The number of total ducklings has remained constant but the number per mom has been changing almost daily.

 

[tlcmurphy]

Thanks everyone for the comments. It does appear to be coparenting. The number of total ducklings has remained constant but the number per mom has been changing almost daily.

Sometimes you’ve just got to give your kids to someone else for the day

 

[Canadian Wind]

Yup! Mine do it all the time! Even had one that stole all the babies from a regular Quacker! They got stolen back.