Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Why are Mallard drakes such violent sex pests ?

80 replies

WildRosie · 04/05/2023 19:42

Yesterday evening, I saw a hapless female Mallard being relentlessly pestered by two drakes. It wasn't a pretty sight but eventually our heroine managed to fly off and escape her unwelcome suitors. Do all duck family birds behave like this or is it just a Mallard thing ?

OP posts:
WomanBitingATowel · 04/05/2023 19:44

I know nothing about waterbirds on the whole but the whole duck ‘gang rape as a way of life’ thing was one of the things I remember about my first term in Oxford in Thames-side accommodation.

Ringmaster27 · 04/05/2023 19:48

We’ve got a lot of water birds in the little pond just on the edge of the beer garden where I work…and yeah. I’d say duck/goose mating is just pretty violent in general. Geese are right bastards - definitely worse than the ducks! Also quite reckless parents once the ducklings hatch too. I’ve spent a fair bit of time herding ducklings out of the car park and back to their mother who’s apparently forgotten how to duck since the local residents have been feeding her 🤷🏻‍♀️😂🤦🏻‍♀️

IgnoranceIsStrength · 04/05/2023 19:52

They are one of the 3% of birds who have an actual penis. The female once mated if she doesn't like that male can secrete his semen in a dead end pocket inside her and then get rid of it later so he doesn't fertilize her eggs. So she is actually quite selective!

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Other pets & animals
Redebs · 04/05/2023 19:55

They are absolute brutes!
Female ducks have twisty vaginas to try to prevent rape. Males will injure and kill females in attempts to inseminate them. Sometimes a load of lads pile on and drown her.

There was a famous case of a dead male duck being repeatedly raped by a persistent stalker 😳

Most other birds don't have penises and the mating involves a quite cooperative matching up of cloacas (vents). It's quite a civilised act in comparison to ducks.

justgettingthroughtheday · 04/05/2023 19:57

A lot of them are pretty violent. But from a ducks perspective that's not necessarily a bad thing. Violent = strong and strong = greater survival chance.
That's ultimately what they need for their offspring both in terms of protecting young and passed on genes.
Not pleasant for the female duck though!

Surplus2requirements · 04/05/2023 20:00

I kept Khaki Campbells and the drake drowned 2 of the ducks before the nasty git went in the oven

longwayoff · 04/05/2023 20:02

Anthropomorphising. They're ducks and have no manners. Let them duck.

ReddishBrown · 04/05/2023 20:10

There was a famous case of a dead male duck being repeatedly raped by a persistent stalker 😳 sorry what?!

ReddishBrown · 04/05/2023 20:10

Surplus2requirements · 04/05/2023 20:00

I kept Khaki Campbells and the drake drowned 2 of the ducks before the nasty git went in the oven

This also sounds intense

NannyGythaOgg · 04/05/2023 20:34

I suspect there may be a reason duck rhymes with fuck - the males are relentless rapists

taybert · 04/05/2023 20:38

We used to live next to a canal and it was fucking horrendous. We used to wake to the sound of duck rape.

mindutopia · 04/05/2023 21:12

All ducks are like this. Have you ever seen a duck penis? We used to keep ducks and I googled it and once googled, it can’t be unseen. 😳

Hoppinggreen · 04/05/2023 21:14

We used to have ducks when I was a child and our female drowned during an attempted gang rape by HER SONS!!!!

Rinkydinkydoodle · 04/05/2023 21:16

This is a really fucking disturbing thread

ejbaxa · 04/05/2023 21:17
Shock
MrsRobinsonsHandprints · 04/05/2023 21:21

Rinkydinkydoodle · 04/05/2023 21:16

This is a really fucking disturbing thread

Best not start talking about otters then...

Startyabastard · 04/05/2023 21:22

I'd love for someone to explain how duck penis' (the ones that have them) fit inside a female duck because they appear very loose and I can't see how the male can have any control of such a flaccid, long penis. I have heard they retract and are in a loose coil shape so how would they become turgid and... Well... useful?

MrsRobinsonsHandprints · 04/05/2023 21:22

...and definitely not dolphins. Evil rapey bastards.

Rinkydinkydoodle · 04/05/2023 21:23

MrsRobinsonsHandprints · 04/05/2023 21:21

Best not start talking about otters then...

Show quote history

noooo

evtheria · 04/05/2023 21:29

Of all the discussions to make me think "right, that's enough MN for... a long time", it's this.

BlackieGrey · 04/05/2023 21:32

Stewart Lee in a Morgan Freeman voice: "there goes that little mallard. Raping that other mallard"

TheFairyCaravan · 04/05/2023 21:32

We used to have ducks visit our garden every Spring. I looked out one day and saw the poor female being held down by one drake while the other one mated with her. I was shocked. I didn’t know they behaved like that.

Yuasa · 04/05/2023 21:40

Well, I have an interesting search history thanks to this thread and I’ve certainly learnt a lot this evening.