It’s not known, though, exactly how this Merganser hen acquired so many ducklings in her crèche. At about ten years old, she knows the best spots to forage and how to avoid predators. The lead hen is probably an older duck that has raised ducklings successfully in the past. Hokkaido, Japan Photograph by Stefano Unterthiner “Although they get very hard to count when there’s that many of them.” (Read about the ducklings on National Geographic’s doorstep.)īut while this crèche is impressive-the average size is around 40 ducklings-about four years ago, Cordts saw an even larger group on the same lake. “I’ve seen some crèches where the ducklings are of several different ages,” which is more likely after an earlier thaw. “One thing that struck me about this particular crèche was that all the ducklings were young, and they were all about the same age,” says Rave. A late thaw on the lake forced all of the nesting hens to wait until the same time to lay eggs, and mild weather increased the odds that the eggs hatched successfully. Many factors contributed to this crèche’s size, say Dave Rave, a wildlife manager and Cordts’ colleague. This phenomenon occurs in several other types of birds as well. She has acquired the ducklings from many broods on the lake to form the group, called a crèche. The dozens of ducklings trailing this merganser hen follow her lead to find food, and she is responsible for keeping them well away from predators, explains Steve Cordts, a waterfowl staff specialist with Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources. This sighting, on Lake Bemidji in Minnesota, has raised some questions: How did the bird acquire all these ducklings? How is she able to remain in charge of so many? What will become of the ducklings when they grow up? Now, new video of the ducks makes it clear just how impressive a feat it is for this mama duck to lead a giant supergroup of waddling babies. The unusual sight of a mother duck followed by 76 ducklings has recently made waves, after amateur wildlife photographer Brent Cizek posted photos of the birds on Instagram.
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