Why are Mallard drakes such violent sex pests ?

[WildRosie]

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 ?

Just 😳😳 at this thread. Do love MN sometimes! But yes - ducks are rapey sex fiends. Went for a nice romantic meal on a riverbank one year with DP - the a violent gang rape feet away which left the female drowned. Put me off my chips.

Ducks can be awful.

There’s a park near me that has loads of ducks. It can get quite disturbing going for walks there at this time of year. Especially when the male ducks all gang up together.

Don't mallards have corkscrew shaped penises? That might explain the er, effort, involved? Don't want to fact check and mess up my internet history!

And yet they wander around our estate most of the time in married couples, male and female, sharing the mealworms under my bird table!
Bastards!

I first became aware of this in St James park in central London. I was with OH and we saw a female being attacked by several males - didn't realise it was a gang rape. My husband climbed over the railing and stopped them, and got a round of applause from all the tourists watching. We only found out later that this was "normal" behaviour for ducks.

I read someone that the colour of a males ducks bill determines whether the female duck is interested or not.

I've got a pair of wild ducks that live in my pond. The male is besotted with the female, they're so sweet together. They always flirt a little before they mate - and he's very gentle with her.

There's another male duck that keeps pestering the female every now and then, he just appears - our lovely male repeatedly sticks right by her and scares him off.

Yesterday was awful though, the lovely male duck was a bit further away when the horrible one landed, he managed to get on top of the female and she looked so uncomfortable and stressed, quacking/shouting, but within a few seconds the lovely one came to her aid and dragged him off her. Nasty rapist one flew off.

They nuzzled and had a little swim, and all was well!

I'm. It knowledgable about ducks but we appear to have a threesome going on in our birds house - 3 great tits are going in and out!

My children got really upset seeing otter rape at Chessington World of Adventure one year.

Many years ago I called the SSPCA out to rescue a female duck that was being tormented for days by the males. I'm now very surprised that they actually came given this is normal.

Someone sent for Chris Packham. They are not ladies at a vicarage tea party, they are DUCKS. Consent is not a consideration, neither yours nor the ducks.

I remember watching a programme once where it stated that water animals are the worst for any kind of sexual behaviour compared to land animals - ducks, dolphins, otters, penguins. Some breed of penguins will have sex with dead penguins. Fascinating programme yet horrifying at the same time.

Ahh you've written word for word what is happening on our garden pond with our two resident wild mallards at the moment. Our drake is an incredible duck husband - so protective of his mate. But she's still been assaulted about four times in the last week by an absolute sex pest who keeps flying in. The two drakes have a massive fight and he chases the pest off with a lot of shouting but god the poor female is having an awful time.

I read up on it - the sex pest males are now unattached males whose mates are now sitting on their nests and don't need them anymore. There is a short period where they have nothing to do and become absolute hooligans. Once they start their moulting season they snap out of it.

Yes they do, one of my zoology friends at uni showed me a picture. I will never look at a turkey twister the same way again!

Well every day's a school day!

I hope swans don't act like thugs during nesting season. That would really wreck their serene, graceful image.

One year I found a female mallard hiding in the garden and I swear she was looking at me like: "Please don't give me away."

Oh my god!

Not seen that in my local ponds. Maybe someone puts something in their food.

If it's normal can it be called rape?
That undermines actual rape which is not normal.

Used to have mallards close to my old office and was shocked at how violent it was! If reincarnation is real I hope I never come back as a female mallard...

At my old horse stables poor Mrs Muscovy duck was always being harassed and raped by Mr Muscovy.

I used to try and help her, but he was relentless

God this would be so useful!!
I'd be able to ditch taking contraceptives.

God this has ruined my evening 😭

We've got some mallards who hang out in our garden at this time of year and the male has never behaved like this. They're quite a sweet couple, very gentle.

I presume they're avoiding the gangs of marauding mallards that live on the canal. Rowdy rapey bastards they are.

WildRosie male swans (cobs) can be absolute thugs this time of year. Aggressively attacking and drowning interlopers on thier territories.
Also ducklings can't cry.