Quack quack! Where’s our mother?

How do birds like Ducks recognize their mother? Scientists have found that, when baby animals such as ducklings are born, they begin to identify and follow their mother around through a process called ‘imprinting’. It is a natural biological phenomenon that allows many new born mammals and birds to form a bond with their mother as well as providing them with information about their own identity.

Though there is “sensitive time period” for this to occur, for birds like ducks, geese and turkeys that start walking as soon as they hatch, the imprint occurs instantly – often letting ducklings assume any moving object— sometimes even inanimate objects— to be their mother .

This kind of behaviour suggests that ducks aren’t very smart. But, on the contrary, scientists have proved that this very behaviour suggests remarkable ability for abstract thought, i.e., logical reasoning – a quality of highly intelligent species.

Ducks even outperform supposedly “smarter” animal species in certain aspects of abstract reasoning. Just hours after birth, they understand concepts like “same” and “different,” remember them, and apply them to never-before-seen objects with no social cues or training.

In an experiment, ducklings were found to follow objects similar in shape or colour to the objects shown to them immediately after they were hatched, thus proving their ability to match colours and shapes.

---

Napolean, the sheepdog, was in a very, very bad mood. None of the other farm animals dared to cross his path that day, for they knew what a temper he had. He lay sulking in his kennel, while the other farm animals whispered to each other. “What’s the matter with old Nappy?” asked the hen to the horse.

“Shhh! He better not catch you calling him that! He hates being called Nappy!” said the horse, and both giggled. “It’s all because that silly red ball he plays with is missing since morning. You know he can’t bear to part with it.”

“Well, where can it go? Must be somewhere around here on the farm!” replied the hen. “I think the Farmer took it into the house for his child to play with”, said the horse. “Goodness knows where the baby must have dumped it!”

Just then, Mother Duck passed that way, humming a happy tune, quite unmindful of the grave situation all around. Napolean growled in annoyance. Here he was, worried to death about his missing red ball, and here was a silly bird crooning away a melody. Seeing Napolean’s fury, the hen hurriedly drew the duck to a corner, before the sheepdog could act any further.

“Hey Ducky, watch it!” said the hen in a low voice. “This is no time to sing!”

“Why ever not?” asked the duck, quite puzzled.

“Well, haven’t you heard? Napolean’s red ball is missing!”

“Ha! What a thing to worry about! I have better things to do, like keeping a few tasty snacks ready for my little babies when they hatch from my eggs”, said the Mother Duck indignantly. “Now, if you’ll excuse me”, she said with a cold glance, as she pulled away from the Hen and walked towards the river.

“That was quite a snub”, remarked the horse, as the hen looked on stupefied. “Well, she always had her nose in the air”, said the hen. Just then, a loud commotion could be heard from the barn.

“Looks like Ducky’s babies have hatched!” cried the hen. “Let’s go and have a look!”

It was quite a rush. Everyone, except the sheepdog, wanted to see the new born ducklings. But when they all reached the place, they were stunned into silence. Only the quacks of the ducklings could be heard.

“Make way! Make way for the mother!” came a voice, as Mother Duck jostled her way through the crowd of animals to reach her ducklings. “Why, my babies”, she started

crooning.”You’ve all arrived—” The Mother Duck stopped short, seeing all her six ducklings nestled up close to a bright red ball. Each of them turned lovingly to the ball and quacked “Mama” by turns.

“Er… where were you, Duckie?” asked a goat. “Looks like they think the ball is their mother.”

“I… I had gone down to the river… just a few moments ago…” stuttered a shocked Duckie. But she soon recovered. “But this is nonsense! How can they think the ball is their mother? Wait till I get to them, they’ll know I’m their mother”, she said, marching forward.

“Kids, look! It’s me, your mother”, Duckie announced proudly.

But the ducklings gave her a cursory glance, and turned back to the red ball. “Mama”, said the ducklings to the ball.

“That’s just a ball, my ducklings! Look at me, I’m your real mother!” Duckie said again.

The ducklings looked at her again. But they again shook their heads, turned to the ball, and said “Mama”!

All the animals tittered. “Well, here’s proof that they’re her kids after all”, sniggered the hen.

“I don’t know why they call the donkey dumb instead of the duck”, the horse whispered back, trying to hold back his laughter.

In between all the commotion, Napolean walked in, growling his way through. It looked like some animal had sneaked to him about his missing red ball being found with Duckie’s babies.

The moment he spotted his ball, Napolean rushed towards it. He picked it up in his mouth, flicked away two ducklings which were hanging on to it, and walked out with his head held high, while the ducklings cried in despair.

“Mama gone”, they quacked. “Mama not here.”

No amount of the Mother duck’s words, consolation or rebukes could make the ducklings see sense. “We want to see Mama”, they said, as they walked out of the barn, trying to figure out where the red ball had gone.

Napoleon, meanwhile, had hidden the ball in the inner recesses of his kennel, and flopped himself down at the entrance to guard it.

The ducklings walked down in a single file, looking all around for their mother. “Where’s Mama?” they quacked from time to time. But they couldn’t find the ball.

“They might get tired of it and accept Duckie as their mom”, said a relieved hen. But alas, that was not to happen! For a ripe, round orange fell down from the orange tree, right in the midst of the ducklings!

“Mama!” they cried joyfully, hugging the orange.

“What’s the connection?” asked the confused horse.

“The ball is round, and so is the orange”, remarked the hen. “Remove the orange before they get attached to it, now.”

So the horse immediately picked up the orange and swallowed it.

The bewildered ducklings looked around for their “mother” again. And that was when, the animals heard the farmer starting his red tractor!

“MAMA!!! MAMA!!” cried the excited ducklings, as they tore behind the red tractor, while the rest of the animals ran behind them to stop them.

The poor farmer drove on, unaware of the retinue of ducklings, hens, goats and pigs following his tractor. At last, they managed to hold down the ducklings.

“What was the connection this time?” asked the horse, exasperated.

“The red colour, I suppose”, said the Hen.

Mother Duck was crying her heart out. “Oh my poor babies”, she wailed. “They’ll have to grow up without a real mother!”

Napolean acted as though nothing had happened. “There’s no way I’m giving my ball away to act as a mother for some dippy ducklings”, he muttered.

The hen thought for a while. “Maybe you can still become their mother, Duckie”, she said, and ran to fetch a red rag cloth, which she fixed around Duckie’s head.

The moment the ducklings saw the red cloth, they ran back to Mother Duck. “Mama”, they said happily, snuggling up to her at last!