meat eating dabblers (1 Viewer)

samuel walker

It's OK to be a little blue........

• Apr 6, 2005

• #1

I saw something curious for me today.A drake and hen mallard swam to the beach edge at the corner of a fishing pier.She reached down and began tearing away at a fish carcass.The drake watched for a while then took it away from her and tore at it himself.I have seen Canada geese eat dead fish off the ice in winter, but I have never seen a dabbling duck eat flesh until today.Any ideas?
Sam

 

birdpotter

Well-known member

• Apr 6, 2005

• #2

I don't know about wild Mallards, but I used to raise domestics and I watched the muthas swallow mice whole and play with frog skins after eating the innards.

I stopped raising domestic Mallard ducks.

Elizabeth

 

jurek

Well-known member

• Apr 6, 2005

• #3

Mallards sometimes eat carrion.

 

Kevin Mac

Just sleeping

• Apr 7, 2005

• #4

Killer carrion eating death duck Mallards! Who would of thunk it? My biology teacher once told me Mallard drakes are the only ducks that will actually rape females. They even sound like a*******. Ooops, sorry, that wasn't very polite. But then they aren't either...

 

Last edited by a moderator: Apr 7, 2005

John P

Usually on a different wavelength

• Apr 7, 2005

• #5

I was working at a hotel on the banks of the Thames many many years ago and used to watch Mallards chasing Bleak (a small silver fish) on the surface.