Some Individuals Pair Late

Unlike most birds, ducks form pair bonds in the winter – many months before nesting. Mottled Ducks pair in September; Mallards in November; Teal in January/February; Canvasbacks in March. Males then follow their paired female for months.

However, some individuals are still forming pair bonds in May – like the Teal (11 males & 1 female) in the courtship party below. The huge majority (over 95%) of the female Teal and Shovelers I watched this weekend were paired, but I also saw a Shoveler and Teal courtship group.

Courtship parties engage in weaving flights (many males; 1 female) that are fun to watch, but there is much activity on the water with males trying to chase-off other males while staying as close as possible to the female.

So why are some individuals late? Neither Todd Arnold nor I have a favored hypothesis. I sort of think it is the female’s indecision; Todd leans toward an answer based on the males.

Frank