Is there a word for ducklings when they’re no longer small, but not yet fledged? Anyway, all seven of the ducklings in our pond have survived the rigors of predation and disease, and are beginning to get the characteristic blue feathers of mallards.
Here’s a movie I took of them this morning; perhaps some alert reader can tell me, from the state of their feathers, how close they are to flying. As always, an alert and protective mom is standing by, her behavior a product of kin selection.
Now what UC needs is a fox.
“her behavior a product of kin selection”
That is clearly a group. 😀
I’ve been reading a lot of Larry Moran lately, so I think the mother duck’s behavior is simply a manifestation of genetic drift.
Flocklings? As in, “flocking midway between ducking and fleeing”.
That gets my vote, fwiw. Felicitous.
Oh dear, I hope they are not teenage ducklinquents…
🙂
Ducklets. Duckettes. Ducky-poos.
Duckums.
Pullet?
b&
AFAIK, pullet is only or mainly in reference to a female chicken not yet a year old. It includes even a day-old chick if sex is known. Male before a year old are called cockerels.
Very good question as to what young ducks might be called.. that I don’t know.
More than a week before they are flying- their primaries are not visible.
We had tons of Canada geese in our backyard on the lake in Davis. We also called them teenagers once they reached the stage when they were no longer tiny yellow ducklings but rather miniature versions of their parents. Way too cute.
I remember watching the duckies on the Feather River; I think that was about the stage when they disappeared – no longer hanging out with Mom & the rest- Fun to watch their development.
Are you sure those are mallards? It is hard to tell, since the color is obviously off, but they look more like black ducks to me.
I believe the word is tasty