Are Ducks Afraid of Swans?
Ducks and swans both of these birds are from the Anatidae family. Despite being related, they have different physical characteristics and behavioral patterns.
Swans are usually bigger and more aggressive, whereas ducks are usually calm-natured. But are ducks afraid of swans?
Usually, ducks are not afraid of swans most of the time. They can live together in the same space without any conflicts. But sometimes, different factors may encourage the swans to attack the ducks if they live in a shared area.
In such cases, the ducks can get scared of the swans. After all, the sizes differ and that plays a role in every other species’ dominance factor. Let’s learn more about ducks and swans’ natural characteristics and what makes ducks afraid of swans.
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Are Ducks Naturally Afraid of Swans?
As we have already said, ducks are not afraid of swans in general without any prior unpleasant encounters.
Especially in the wild, there are lower chances of aggression and violence between them. Even swans and ducks swimming side by side in a lake or a pond is not an uncommon sight either.
However, if a swan has any prior misperception about ducks and thinks of them as rivals, they will surely try to attack them.
Similarly, if any duck ever experiences any violent behavior from swans, they will be naturally scared and try to steer clear of them.
What Are the Reasons Behind Ducks Being Afraid of Swans?
As we’ve already said, swans don’t unnecessarily attack and scare away ducks. However, there are some common reasons why your ducks might be afraid of the swans. Let’s give you an overview of those reasons –
Due to Their Size Differences
Swans are much larger than ducks and also have a wide wingspan. Unlike ducks, they can fly high as well. The size difference can make them seem intimidating to the ducks.
As a result, sometimes ducks will get scared and move away at the sight of swans.
Swans Being Aggressive in Nature
Swans are naturally proven to be more aggressive than ducks. Most of the time, they like to mind their own business.
However, if they perceive the ducks as competitors, aggression might follow. This especially happens when they live close to each other and share food or water.
Also, during the breeding season, swans are especially alert about potential competitors. So they try to attack nearby flocks like geese and ducks. This also makes the duck fearful of them.
Attempt to Establish Pecking Order
There are usually pecking orders among most birds, like chickens, pigeons, ducks, and swans. It’s where they establish a social hierarchy by choosing group leaders.
The more dominant species generally wins in such fights and the submissive species are afraid of them.
Swans are bigger and also more hostile, so they naturally become flock leaders most of the time. This can cause the ducks to be wary of the swans.
Natural Territorial Behavior
Territorial behavior is generally present in both ducks and swans. They like to keep to their own space with the flock members. But if the two species are kept together, they might fight over territorial rights.
Swans are seen to be extremely violent to protect their nest and young. They also don’t like to share their feed.
So, living with ducks or any other flocks makes them more defensive. This extremely territorial behavior usually scares away the ducks.
Lack of Familiarity
Even though ducks and swans are close relatives, they have different natures and social behaviors. This leads them to be cautious of each other.
You can solve this problem by slowly bringing them together so they have time to familiarize themselves with each other. Suddenly keeping them in a shared coop or house is most likely to lead to conflicts.
Special Case
Apart from these, there may be other reasons why ducks are scared of swans.
For example, any prior unpleasant incidents between the two groups, overpopulation and not enough food for both groups, especially aggressive members, bullying, etc.
Do Swans Kill Ducks?
Even though it’s very rare for swans to kill ducks, it’s not entirely unseen. However, there are always credible reasons why a swan might attack a duck with the intention of killing it. Such a very good reason is if they think their nest and cygnets are in danger.
Being bigger and also stronger, it’s easy for swans to kill a duck if they want to.
Most times, they hit their opponent with their beaks and thrash them continuously until they die. There are also very rare incidents where swans are seen to kill baby ducklings and eat them partially.
But these are rare and unnatural circumstances, swans will not attack ducks without any reason. They tend to keep to themselves and mingle peacefully in an unbothered manner.
Conclusion
Overall, our take is that ducks are not afraid of swans unless they perceive them as enemies or predators.
But because swans are naturally perceived as aggressive, it leads people to believe that ducks are scared of them. In fact, it’s very common for people to keep swan decoys to scare away ducks based on this theory.
But in reality, are ducks afraid of swans? Naturally, no, but with proper reasons, yes. Hopefully, this answers all your questions regarding this matter.
References:
- https://www.huffpost.com/entry/8-things-you-didnt-know-a_b_9114168
- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4562966/Swan-kills-helpless-duckling-EATS-video.html
Image Credit:
- Canva.com/photos
