“Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas – only I don’t exactly know what they are!” —Alice in Through the Looking Glass. Louis Carroll simply and eloquently describes the way a duck thinks.

Jump-ahead drake duck takes to wing.

Jump-ahead: a member from an unpaired bachelor group following a female, takes to wing to get ahead of the other swimming drakes.

**Wing-stretch:** by spreading wings abreast, the hen mallard shakes its feathers into place. The action is done during preening, but if spontaneously performed while swimming alongside a duck of the opposite sex, it is considered a low-level sexual showing of the animal’s fitness. The iridescent band, confined to a mallard’s secondary flight feathers, is termed a speculum. It is found on mallards of both sexes.

Incite: A display made by female mallards to attract drakes. The female duck swims near a drake. She turns her head to the side and dips her bill over her shoulder to the water’s surface. While doing this, she also makes a gentle gurgling sound, known as an incite call. The duck’s movements have a nervous look, demarcating it from preening, feeding, or other similar movements. Early in the season, the display may be made to a bachelor group, triggering a fight between the drakes or the female’s pursuit.

Mallard drake is signalling a hen by performing a Neck-arch — **Neck-arch:** (above and below) A mallard drake begins a **Neck-arch** by raising the anterior (front) part of its body from the water and keeping its head close to the surface, bill pointing downward. The movement draws the duck’s neck to form an arch-like curve. The drake is responding to a female mallard doing an **Incite** signal to the bachelor group by dipping her bill over her shoulder.

**Neck-arch:** (above and below) A mallard drake begins a **Neck-arch** by raising the anterior (front) part of its body from the water and keeping its head close to the surface, bill pointing downward. The movement draws the duck’s neck to form an arch-like curve. The drake is responding to a female mallard doing an **Incite** signal to the bachelor group by dipping her bill over her shoulder.

Head dip tail shake or Grunt whistle — **Grunt-whistle:** (above and below) a visual display but named for the sounds made by a drake during its performance. The duck flicks water using the tip of its bill while raising its tail in the air. The movement is accompanied by a guttural grunt and a short whistle. The action is an invitation to joint head-pumping, which would be the next step toward copulation. Also known as **Bill-dip tail-shake.**

**Grunt-whistle:** (above and below) a visual display but named for the sounds made by a drake during its performance. The duck flicks water using the tip of its bill while raising its tail in the air. The movement is accompanied by a guttural grunt and a short whistle. The action is an invitation to joint head-pumping, which would be the next step toward copulation. Also known as **Bill-dip tail-shake.**

**Head-pumping:** a rapid vertical extension and retraction of a duck’s neck. Usually initiated by a drake while swimming. It is a request for copulation clearly directed toward a particular individual. When the associated hen also begins head-pumping, the pair swims side by side away from other drakes while continuing to head-pump.

**Copulation:** (above and below) The male holds the female by her neck feathers and forces her head underwater. The shift in balance tips the female forward, raising her tail. Held with her tail above water, the drake moves his cloaca opposite hers for mating to occur. Waterfowl are the only birds that can force copulation.

A Mallard Drake Bridles after Copulation — **Bridling** is a display that lasts for about one second. The drake quickly pulls a **Bridling** position as he slides off the female’s back and then launches forward into **Neck-stretch** as he **Circle-swims** around the female. The act is performed only by drakes that are pair-bonded with the female. Forced couplings by bachelor males not paired with the female do not end in the **Bridling** pose.

Bridling is a behavior displayed by a mallard drake immediately after mating with a female. During this display, the drake throws back its head and pulls its bill toward its chest. It then raises its chest while lifting its body above the water. The term “bridling” comes from the image of a galloping horse being suddenly reined in. This action is performed after dismounting from the female, but only if mating was successful. Following this, the drake typically engages in a Neck-stretch and performs a Circle-swim around the female.

Extended periods of observation will reveal that their behaviors are not always performed exactly as described in textbooks. Over time, one may notice a mallard drake executing courtship displays in unexpected ways. For example, a drake might go through all the correct motions but in the wrong order.

Sometimes, a drake, perceived by some as overly confident, may engage in bridling before mating occurs. Courtship behavior in ducks is genetically programmed, meaning that drakes do not need to learn these actions by watching their fathers. These behaviors are instinctual, but variations can occur. Mallards that behave too far outside the norm may not be understood by other birds. This, in turn, reduces their suitability for forming pair bonds and diminishes their chances of successfully passing on their genes.

While the likelihood of another generation of “daffy ducks” decreases, it’s important to note that it is not impossible, largely due to instances of forced copulation. Ducks are one of the few examples in ornithology where rape has been documented.

Circle-swim: a drake’s “victory lap”. This behavior is undertaken following a successful copulation. The male swims in a circle around the female while his neck is outstretched.

fighting between mallard drakes. — **Fighting** (above and below) between drakes occurs during pair bonding. The bonded drake gets between other drakes and his selected female. The pair swims away from following drakes. Occasionally, the bonded drake will turn and attack an unyielding competitor.

**Fighting** (above and below) between drakes occurs during pair bonding. The bonded drake gets between other drakes and his selected female. The pair swims away from following drakes. Occasionally, the bonded drake will turn and attack an unyielding competitor.

**Lift-off:** A mallard takes to the air by lifting its legs while flapping. If the duck were landing, it would be stiff-legged. Mallards and closely related species are nicknamed “puddle ducks” because of their ability to take to the air straight upwards rather than needing a forward flap-and-run to get up to air speed. This enables them to inhabit small ponds surrounded by trees.

**Touch-down:** Mallard pair landing. Both birds are stiff-legged for braking upon touching the water. Wings are cupped against the air, and the drake is using splayed tail feathers for additional braking.

preening mallard — **Preening:** (above and below) By rubbing its head over its feathers, a drake is distributing a thin layer of oil. The oil has been picked up by first rubbing the head on the bird’s oil gland.

Drake mallard rubbing the top of his head on the oil gland. Because of the rigid fuselage type of skeletal structure, birds have an incredibly flexible neck. They are capable of reaching every part of their body with their bill.

The oil gland, or uropygium, found on a bird's tail. — **The oil gland, preen gland, or uropygial gland**, is found on a bird’s tail.

Preening is a grooming behavior where ducks use their beaks to clean, align, and waterproof their feathers. Ducks nibble and stroke their feathers with their bills to remove dirt, parasites, and debris. They also realign the tiny barbs (barbules) on their feathers that hook together like Velcro to maintain smooth feather surfaces.

Ducks have a special gland near the base of their tail called the uropygial gland (or preen gland). By rubbing this gland with their beak and head, they pick up the oil it releases. Ducks twist their necks and bodies into odd positions to reach every feather, sometimes even dunking their heads underwater to distribute the oil. Full body maintenance

The oil from the preen gland makes down feathers repel water, helping them to trap insulating air under the overlapping contour feathers. This is crucial for staying buoyant and dry while swimming. Unfortunately, natural oil provides no protection against environmental oil. Additional oil floating on the water’s surface can quickly diffuse into the layer of down feathers and displace trapped air. Most “oiled birds” lose their ability to thermoregulate and die from exposure.

Ducks’ contour feathers are naturally repellent to water, but an oil coating is still necessary to keep the feathers flexible and from becoming brittle. It is hypothesized that the oil acts as a sunscreen to prevent ultraviolet light damage to the keratin. Additionally, a thin layer of oil improves cohesion between contour feathers, preventing the seepage of water into the down underneath.

Duck's Ass or DA hairstyle. — **Duck’s Ass or DA:** The “DA” hairstyle, short for “Duck’s Ass”, was a popular men’s hairstyle in the 1950s, particularly among the greaser subculture. It’s characterized by the hair being combed back around the sides of the head to meet in the middle at the back, resembling the shape of a duck’s tail—hence the name. The style was associated with rock ‘n’ roll culture, epitomized by Elvis Presley and The Fonz.

How to footnote this page: Reiser, Frank W. (2025). Mallard Behavior – Communication Between Ducks, In Search of Tiny Things. https://antiqueslides.net/mallard-behavior-communication-between-ducks/

Note: All photos on this page were taken by the author on Long Island at Mill Pond in Merrick, NY. A course titled Animal Ecology at Nassau Community College featured guided field trips focused on observing the communication behaviors of various birds, including ducks, gulls, pigeons, terns, and songbirds. Students captured photographs during these outings, which were later used to create a permanent educational display titled “The Language of the Gulls.” This exhibit was installed at the overlook at NY State Park Captree on Long Island.

Unveiling ceremony of the “Language of the Gulls” installation at Captree State Park. (left to right) NY Senator Owen Johnson, Frank Reiser and LI Park Director George Gorman

“Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas – only I don’t exactly know what they are!” —Alice in Through the Looking Glass. Louis Carroll simply and eloquently describes the way a duck thinks.

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