Love a Duck

Who doesn't love Harlequin?  We all love Harlequin.  That stylish, well-dressed zany from Comedia del Arte  is a favorite at every costume party where he appears.  We recognize him in an instant, and as soon as we see him, we are captivated.

 And you have to love ducks, too.

They can be cute and fluffy or loud and quarrelsome, but you have to love 'em; it's almost like a law.  My favorite duck, of course, is an Odd Duck.

Loving a duck does not preclude learning from them, and it is quite possible to both learn about them and from them.  For instance, just recently a fascinating article on Harlequin Ducks (note that clever juxtaposition) appeared in the Biology journal, Waterfowl.  Because it is so interesting, I include title and abstract here:

Pair-Bond Defense Relates to Mate Quality in Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus)

Abstract.

Previous theory to explain pairing behavior in waterfowl suggested that timing of pairing was constrained by costs to males of being paired and assumed that males incur most of the cost of defense after a pair bond is formed. An alternative hypothesis predicts that male and female partners will mutually defend their pair bond and that an individual will assume a greater share of defense when paired to a relatively high than low quality partner. Behavior of wintering Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) pairs was consistent with the latter hypothesis. Females and males shared equally in pair-bond defense in new pairs involving young females, while males assumed a greater share of defense when paired to an older female. Overall, males performed more aggressive displays in defense of the pair bond than females, but displays by females were more frequently of higher intensity than those of their mate. The relative share of pair-bond defense also varied between females and males depending on the target of the aggressive display. In some pairs, females performed virtually all defensive displays and bore the primary cost of pair-bond defense.  Even when sex ratios are male-biased, differences in male quality probably make females willing to protect a pair bond with a high-quality male. Mutual mate choice and shared defense of a pair bond indicated that “pair-bond defense” would be a more appropriate label than “mate-defense” for the mating system of Harlequin Ducks and likely most monogamous avian species.

There is so much that is fascinating and worth learning from in that article, beginning (I suppose) with the species name, Histrionicus histrionicus, which I personally find hysterical.  But I am also charmed by the feminist subtext in reconsidering "mate defense" as "pair-bond defense."  And the fact that males assume a greater defense of the pair bond than females when paired with an older female was certainly interesting.  It came as no surprise to me, though apparently it does to the professional duck-watching community, to learn that males may perform more aggressive displays in defense of the pair-bond, but that the displays of females were of higher intensity.  That's just the way I would have bet.

How can you not love ducks, especially Harlequin ducks?

There is another kind of duck that actually looks more like Harlequin than a Harlequin duck, and that's a Magpie Duck.  Here is what Wikipedia will teach you about the temperament of a Magpie Duck:

"Magpie Ducks as pets can be friendly. This depends on the way you raise your duck. More affection and holding of your duck will probably result in a friendlier duck. It also depends on the personality . . ."

I find this pretty funny, but also probably true.  Over this past weekend, I saw a pair of ducks who made perhaps the loveliest duck couple I have ever seen.  They were Magpie ducks (a specific kind of domestic duck originally bred, comically enough, by a man named Drake).  While they may have once been domestic ducks, these particular ducks were viewed wandering independently (but together) in an urban environment, but unconstrained.  They were definitely free-range ducks; perhaps best thought of as feral ducks--domestic ducks turned loose on the world.  And this, of course, makes them the sort of Odd Duck I love.

Part of what I loved about this couple was how close they were to each other; they were clearly a couple in the midst of the busy world around them.  And part of what I loved about them was how well matched they were, and lovely: he in his formal garb and she in pure white--they could have been models for all the happy couples who have ever been happy to be together.

I hope you find them to be as beautiful as I do.