Birding/duck behavior

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Expert: - 7/28/2009


Question
I go to the park a lot where there are ducks, and this one white duck always comes up to me and circles my feet. If I move, he follows and continues making circles around my feet. He seems friendly, lets me pet him, but I do not know what the heck hes doing .  Any ideas?

Answer
My expertise is wild birds, not domestic ones. A white duck is a domestic mallard and this one is clearly used to humans. All these kinds of ducks show some sort of weird behavior, but I can't exactly tell you what this one is up to. My guess is that it's looking for a handout of food.

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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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