For the first time, ducks eat meat from birds

A research team first observed blue-necked ducks attacking and eating migratory birds, new behaviors that have never been recorded before.

Zoologists at the University of Cambridge, UK, recorded a blue-necked ducks, known to be hunting birds in a reservoir in Romania, BBC reported on June 30. Two young birds of the gray wagtail and the red-tailed warbler became the hunting target of the ducks and were swallowed when they landed in the water.

Blue-necked ducks are one of the largest numbers of wild ducks, most commonly found in parks and lakes. They often eat seeds, acorns, berries, plants and insects. Sometimes, they also eat small fish, but rarely hunt large vertebrates like birds.

The gray wagtail is swallowed by almost all blue ducks.(Photo: Dailymail).

Dr. Silviu Petrovan noticed the unusual behavior of blue-necked ducks while watching birds with friends near a southwestern Romanian national park. He saw the adult female duck using a beak to bury the gray wagtail, constantly submerging her prey into the water before eating meat. Meanwhile, the red-tailed warbler is hunted by an immature green-necked duck.

"The poor bird landed on the water and cried out in panic while trying to find a way out of danger. After that, it was almost immediately attacked by the blue-necked duck," Dr. Petrovan said. Red-tailed warblers disappear from sight, can drown or be eaten by ducks.

Scientists have not found records of blue-necked ducks hunting in previous research, indicating that behavior is rare and can be learned."The blue-necked duck has a hard time eating the waggle, because it can't tear the prey with the flat beak. Animals don't evolve to specialize in digesting bones and hair," Dr. Petrovan said.

In essence, ducks are very rarely aggressive and tend to dislike new foods. However, blue-necked ducks in California, USA, have been caught in the sea to look for sand crabs, possibly to gather new protein-rich food. The same thing may be happening in the Romanian reservoir, according to research results published in Waterbirds magazine.