Subject: Waterfowl: Agressive Sexual Behavior
Date: Jan 25 01:34:59 1996
From: JAnder6788 at aol.com - JAnder6788 at aol.com


Tweets,

Leslie Schweitzer had a discussion going about waterfowl 'rape' flights, and
asked whether they were restricted to Mallards?

I spent the summer of '78 on a waterfowl nesting habitat project in central
North Dakota. Spent a lot of time that year looking at ducks. My
observations from there (all anecdotal, of course) were that the bulk of
these flights occurred in late Spring/early Summer. The hens were busy with
nests or broods, and the males were still full of testosterone (or whatever
triggers that behavior in male Anatids). The few 'available' hens seemed to
be those that had lost a nest to predation, etc, or had abandoned the clutch
for whatever reason. When that hen would be free from nest/brood duties, she
would often be set upon by numerous suitors. The gangs of
not-yet-post-breeding males were usually in groups of 4 to 8, chasing the
single hen... occasionally more drakes would participate. Mind you, I didn't
pay much attention to the courtship flights of 1 hen and 1 or 2 drakes,
'cause they were so common that year.

The 'worst' example I saw was of 18 drake Pintails. The group forced the hen
to the ground in the center of a prairie section. After the 7th or 8th drake
had had his way, she apparently died, and the males dispersed after about 10
noisy minutes. When I got to her carcass, the feathers had all been torn
from the back of her head and upper neck, and she had obviously been battered
to death.

I can't recall seeing diving ducks behaving in this manner, and was wondering
how often forced copulation occurs in this group relative to the dabblers?
Is it documented in, say, Canvasbacks as well?

Interesting thread...

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, WA
JAnder6788 at aol.com (temporary)