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Mallard ducklings are highly independent from birth, able to walk, swim, and find their own food within hours of hatching. They communicate with soft, shrill whistles and synchronize their hatching through calls from inside the egg.
Key Facts About Mallard Chicks
Rapid Development: Ducklings are precocial, meaning they are active and mobile immediately after hatching. They leave the nest with their mother for the nearest water source after only about 10 hours.
Camouflage: They are covered in fluffy down with a distinct black and yellow camouflage pattern to hide from predators.
Diet: Ducklings primarily eat insects and aquatic invertebrates, gradually shifting to a mostly vegetarian diet of seeds, grain, and plants as they mature.
Vocalization: They use soft, high-pitched whistles to communicate, especially when alarmed. The female parent uses a specific, repetitive "maternal vocalization" to attract and guide her young, which helps the ducklings learn to identify their species' call.
Waterproof Feathers: Though they swim soon after hatching, they benefit from preening by their mother, who helps them waterproof their feathers. Without her care, they work harder to waterproof themselves and are vulnerable to hypothermia.
Growth Rate: They grow very quickly, capable of doubling their weight in just one week.
