What are they doing?

[rainplace]

What the heck are muscovies doing when they do this:

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

shake ur tail feather......

 

[LoreenH]

I've heard that's one reason people like their scovies.....'cause they wag their tails.

 

[rainplace]

That's the reason I've sorta fallen for this drake. I still can't get over how ugly he is, but darn if he isn't cute following me around the yard shaking that tail of his. I just wish I knew what he was saying with all the bobbing and wiggling.

 

[suburbanduckmom]

Any one else think of the Hokey Pokey when they do this?

 

[pardygwyn]

Film description says they're getting ready to fight. It reminds me of the elaborate territorial displays swans put on sometimes... muscovies are such strange ducks.

 

[keeperofthehearth]

Head bob & tail wag w/accompanying vocalizations = "I'm bad, I'm bad, I'm badder'n you!"

Scovy pecking order. I've seen both male and females do this and sometimes it does end in a fight. Boy's fighting, girls fighting and sometimes boy and girl fight if one doesn't back down ooor the girl says "No! I'm not interested."

The older breeding girls do this with eachother quite a bit. Every morning and most every time they see eachother after they've been in different areas of the yard and come back together. Scovies! Ya, gotta love'em.

 

[pardygwyn]

Mallard-based ducks often put on a show when they regroup, too, though how energetic it is seems to depend on the breed. Theirs involves a lot of headbobbing, sneezing sounds and beak-pointing from the males, and accompanying "insults" flung over the shoulders of the females that seem to mainly serve to inflate her chosen male's head. LOL When I said Muscovies were odd ducks, it was because the style of their display reminds me so much more strongly of swans than ducks.

 

[rainplace]

So I believe that maybe they are about to fight or something, but my guy is always doing that head bob wag tail thing. Even when he is alone in the coop preening. When I pull up in my car he's doing that same thing sitting down. It's like bizzaro world he's so funny looking. It has to mean something else too... no?

 

[pardygwyn]

I think Keeperofthehearth's explanation of the displays was the best - he's showing off, he's feeling his oats, he's baaaaaad stuff. ;D The displays I was talking about in mallard-derived ducks happen in more than just fight or standoff situations, too. I've come to the conclusion over the years that ducks enjoy being a bit extravagant.