Ducks that throw their eggs to other birds (9 photos)

The Carolina duck surpassed even the cuckoo in impudence. Birds often throw their offspring to owls!





Being a mother is hard and often thankless work. Each species has its own unique approach to raising offspring. Some mothers tirelessly monitor their offspring and create comfort around your children. And some don't even bother and leaves the children to their fate. But the Carolina duck acts smarter: the process of upbringing in her directly depends from the situation. Some of her kids will get love and affection from mother duck. Someone will be watching watchful neighbors. True, the neighbors about this no one doesn't warn...

The bird lives in the temperate latitudes of North America. But if you look at the caroline for a long time, you can see tangerine. The mandarin duck is a feathered duck from Asia. Birds look like each other on the other for a reason. Despite the fact that mandarin and caroline are in different parts of the world, they are related to each other close relatives! These two species are the only members of the genus forest ducks.



Mandarin duck on top, caroline duck on the bottom

This means that birds are not only excellent swimmers, but it also jumps well along the branches. Not with speed sparrow, but certainly more skillfully than the typical mallard. Because and the diet of ducks is very different: here are aquatic plants with small fish from the lake, and berries with fruits from twigs, and seeds from farmers' fields and gardens. All depends on the season and location.





To climb thin branches, the caroline had to pretty much lose weight. If a mallard weighs up to 2 kilos, then the weight of a male caroline is a maximum 800 grams!

Belonging to the genus "forest ducks" caroline prove in the breeding season. The point is that the birds nest in hollows. But not every hollow is suitable for the future home. It must meet certain criteria. Firstly, the distance from it to the reservoir should be no more 1.5 km. And secondly, the hollow should be at a height about 7 meters.



Nesting pairs are formed in wintering areas. It's interesting that the initiative to create a pair is shown by females, not males. The lady is singing serenades, uttering piercing cries.

And this is all complicated by the fact that the hollow is not such a common thing. And there are a lot of people around to move into such a comfortable penthouse. Carolinians have to compete with all forest life for a place for the future "Kindergarten" The male is not an assistant to the female in this matter - he leaves offspring long before they appear into the world.



Scientists solve the housing problem of carolins. They provide budget public housing in the form of nest boxes. True, fights arise for them.

Under ideal circumstances, mother duck organizes own nest. And in 28 - 35 days he will sit out 13 - 15 little ducklings. Children will be born more independent than the chicks of other waterfowl. Already for the second day they land from the hollow on the forest floor. Recall that the height of the nest is at least 7 meters.



But "ideal circumstances" in nature seldom add up. As we remember, forest ducks are acutely housing issue. If the mother could not find a nest site, then she ... throws eggs to her neighbors. More often, into the nest of the more fortunate Caroline. Since young ladies without a certain place of residence is a lot, then the number of eggs in such "public" nests can reach 50 pieces!



When you put all your eggs in one basket. Yes, even in someone else's!

And it would be nice if mothers threw their future children only to neighbors of their own kind. It turned out that forest ducks happy to use the nests of North American scoops! Which, for a second, are predators! At the same time, the duck is not only throws his eggs to the owl, but also throws out the clutch of the hostess nests. Scoops do all the work for the unlucky mother on hatching babies and their protection.



"Are you sure you're my mom?" - I do not know...

True, parental control over ducklings will not last long. In a day or two they will leave the nestmany parents. So early the independence of the offspring causes a storm of emotions in the scoop. Remains only anxiously hoot after the retreating ducklings. By the water kids quickly will join the youth group of other Carolines. And in two months, the chicks will take to the wings and leave the "father's house".



This way of delegating parental responsibilities called nest parasitism. The cuckoo is the clearest example of this strategies. But waterfowl do not shun toss your chicks. Not from what they are not loved. Quite the opposite! This allows mothers to increase offspring and increase their chances of survival. Even if something is wrong with your nest, it remains the probability that your abandoned offspring will survive under the care of someone else ducks. At the same time, the mother herself does not spend too much energy, time and health for the upbringing of offspring.