Birding/mallard ducks

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Expert: - 4/19/2009


Question
we have had a male & female mallard ducks come to our pond during the day in Seattle WA. for approx.the last 15-16 years around easter and stay for approx. 1 month.I understand they have a much shorter life span then this.with in 24 hours of landing they come up to our slider for food. How is this possible every year?they surely cannot be the same ducks.

Answer
Although it is unlikely, it is possible for ducks to live up to 25 years in the wild. On the other hand, it is possible that one of the pair died and got a new mate and then the other died and got a new mate, so that one of the pair knows where to go each year. But it would not surprize me that it is the same pair.

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Roger Lederer

Expertise

Any and all about WILD birds - the science of ornithology. Information about birdwatching, ecology, conservation, migration, behavior, banding, rehabilitation, feeding, songs, binoculars, identification, and careers in ornithology. No questions about pet or caged birds, please.

Experience

Have a PhD and over forty years as a professional ornithologist - research, teaching, author, speaker, webmaster of Ornithology.com . Have written thirty scientific papers, three bird field guides, a textbook in ecology and two recent books entitled "Amazing Birds" and "Birds of New England". Have traveled to over 90 countries watching birds.

Education/Credentials
PhD in Zoology/Ornithology; Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences; former Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at California State University, Chico

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