Why This Mama Duck Has Her Ducklings in a Row—All 76 of Them
July 27, 2018 – These 76 merganser ducklings make an unusually large family. They are part of a crèche, a shared ‘daycare’ system used by few bird species. This ‘super mom,’ known as ‘Mama Merganser,’ likely collected her crèche from several different nests.
While merganser crèches are common, they usually are half this size. The hen, likely an experienced mother, may have picked up broods that were abandoned by first-time nesting hens. Female mergansers lay approximately six to 12 eggs at a time, and sometimes deposit their eggs in the nests of other ducks. Scientists think this may be a tactic to help the ducklings’ chance of survival.
A late spring at Minnesota’s Lake Bemidji may have contributed to this crèche’s large size. Hens delayed laying eggs until after the spring thaw, May 8. For that reason, the ducklings are around the same age—all under two months old. Soon the ducklings will start to fledge, and ‘Mama Merganser’ will have an ‘empty nest.’
