Injured Baby Duck Rescued

Injured Baby Duck Rescued

 Injured Baby Duck Rescued

Florida Mottled Duckling was snatched from her mother by another bird and then fought and was dropped in the Backyard making a commotion which attracted my attention. Despite what appeared to be a severe injury to its head the little duckling seemed active and energetic and was rushed to the nearby wildlife rescue hospital - it should be fine with proper care and always donate to these places that really do all the hard work when you take an animal to them. There is a sadder ending to a recent squirrel rescue case that I will follow up on soon. Its been a busy spring in the Backyard.
Mottled Ducks are actually threatened and a few years ago we had a nice family behind the Backyard - see the here:
https://youtu.be/__HG18G4w_Y
A threatened native non-migratory duck unique to peninsular Florida - The Florida mottled duck (Anas fulvigula fulvigula), often called the Florida duck or Florida mallard, is a unique subspecies found only in peninsular Florida, residing in both brackish and freshwater marshes. The Florida mottled duck spends its entire life within the state and has inhabited Florida for thousands of years. The long-term well-being of Florida mottled ducks is threatened by crossbreeding with feral, domesticated mallards. The Florida mottled duck is one of a few non-migratory ducks in North America. They occur only in peninsular Florida where they are found both on the coasts and inland. The Florida mottled duck appears to be adaptable with regard to the habitats it uses and has been found using wetlands and related upland habitats associated with ponds, marshes, lakes, rivers, canals, ditches, mosquito impoundments and brackish and salt-water areas on the east and west coasts. Florida mottled ducks have an intrinsic, aesthetic value and are highly prized as a game bird. Also they are a defining member of the unique suite of species characteristic of the prairie ecosystem of south Florida. Florida mottled ducks nest from February through July. The females tend to locate their nests in dense vegetation (tall grasses, rushes or palmetto thickets) on the ground near water. The nest is built of vegetation and is lined with down. Only 1 brood each year is raised and females typically lay 8-10 eggs called a clutch. The eggs are creamy-white to greenish-white and are incubated within 25 to 27 days.
Unlike such birds as the mockingbird or blue jay, which raise their young in the nest for weeks, mottled duck females will move their ducklings to water within 24 to 48 hours of hatching. Young mottled ducks are capable of flight at 60 to 70 days of age.
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Injured Baby Duck Rescued