Urban Mallards on the Move: What to Do When Duck Families Take to the Road
Guide on Aiding Duck Families Safely During Boat Tours - Strategies for Safer Assistance for Duckling Families
The growing number of headlines like "Authorities save orphaned ducklings" shows us city-dwelling ducks are increasingly finding themselves in some tricky situations. For instance, ten little ducklings recently ended up on the A67 near Büttelborn, Hesse, while another brood waddled along the hard shoulder of the A5 between Hemsbach and Weinheim motorway junction, as reported by the Mannheim police.
Newly hatched mallard ducklings follow their moms to the water's edge to look for food, sometimes braving city traffic. According to Torsten Collet from NABU Rhineland-Palatinate, the ducklings' excursions happen about six to twelve hours after hatching as the breeding season starts in mid-March, with the first ducklings hatching in April or May [1]. Mallards are "nest-leavers," so they venture out with their young to find food at suitable bodies of water.
Mallards are even known to adapt to city infrastructure to keep themselves safe. For example, a mother duck in Frankfurt nested in a fifth-floor flowerpot, far from any water but protected from predators [2]. The team at the Hessian State Office for Nature Conservation, Environment, and Geology (HLNUG) safely moved this family to a more suitable location.
So, why do the ducks risk crossing busy roads?
Over time, city animals become accustomed to noise, including traffic, observes Collet. As long as they don't associate it with immediate danger, such noises don't frighten urban ducks. "The mother knows the quickest route to the water, regardless of whether it's safe or not," points out Kostadin Georgiev from the HLNUG bird protection station.
What if the ducklings lose their mother or need human assistance? Can another mother duck take them in?
"Ducklings don't depend on their mom for food from the start," explains Georgiev, "but they are protected from predators and kept warm by her in the first few days. In these crucial stages, they also learn what they can eat from their mother during group food-seeking experiences." In theory, another mother duck could take in orphaned ducklings, notes Collet [1].
What should you do if you encounter a family of ducks crossing the road?
"Step aside and let them be," advises Georgiev. In fact, it's illegal to take the ducklings, and human intervention is unnecessary when the mother and ducklings are near water and avoiding traffic. When it comes to motorways and busy roads, it's best to contact the police, who can assess the situation and close the road if needed. If the ducklings are distanced from nearby bodies of water and must traverse heavily trafficked areas, the police should be notified, and the birds should be safely caught and relocated to the nearest body of water.
- Authorities
- Mother
- Wiesbaden
- Mainz
- Büttelborn
- Groß-Gerau
- Weinheim
- Mannheim
- Nature Conservation Association Germany e.V.
- Rhineland-Palatinate
In urban settings, families of mallards cross roads in groups, which reduces their risk of becoming separated by traffic. Mallard behavior like this is an adaptation to city living, aimed at ensuring the group's safety while crossing potentially dangerous roadways [3][4]. Although this strategy seems successful, the fragmentation of habitats by roads can still pose threats to wildlife in both rural and urban areas [1][2].
- In urban settings, families of mallards crossing roads in groups is an adaptation to city living, aimed at ensuring the group's safety while navigating potentially dangerous roadways.
- To minimize the risk of wildlife-vehicle collisions and habitat fragmentation, implementing community aid for the conservation of fishery resources, such as creating wildlife crossings or establishing green corridors, could prove beneficial for both urban ducks and other city animals.
