Knowledge Base

• It is common for mallard hens to leave their ducklings to go feed (in peace 😊).
• These ‘brood-breaks’ can last for over 2 hours.
• It should not be assumed that ducklings encountered without a hen present have been abandoned.
• It is rare for a hen to abandon her ducklings unless under severe duress e.g. constant predator (includes humans) harassment.
• Unless you are certain a hen has been killed, i.e. have witnessed this occurring, please leave duckling where you found them.
• If you observe the ducklings at a distance for 3 hours and the hen has not returned to them, then it may be reasonable to assume they have been abandoned.
• Signs you need to get involved occur when there is a single duckling or a group in a highly agitated state, peeping loudly and unable to settle.

For more information you can also contact Fish and Game (07 849 1666)

Advice if ducklings need rescuing

Caring for a duckling until you can bring them out to us:

The most important factor when caring for ducklings is temperature. Young ducklings require a heat source. If they get cold, they will die. You can use a hot water bottle, rice sock (put dry rice in a sock and place in microwave along with a separate small dish of water, and heat until the rice sock is hot), wheat bag (same as rice sock but with wheat), snugglesafe, or heat pad. Wrap the heat source in a towel so that the duckling isn’t in direct contact with the heat. It can then be placed in one end of the box so that the duckling can choose how close they sit to the heat source. If you need to keep the duckling for several hours or overnight, you will likely need to reheat the heat source. Please note a blanket is not a heat source.

Ducklings love water but they can easily get wet and become cold, especially when they are very young. Please don’t put a big dish of water in with them. They will be fine without water for a few hours. If keeping overnight, you can offer a small amount of water in a very tiny dish (such as a bottle cap). If the dish is bigger than the duckling’s beak (i.e. enough that the duckling could splash and get wet), don’t leave them with the water unsupervised. If the duckling does accidentally become wet, gently dry them with a hair dryer (held at a distance from duckling, so not too hot).

If you are bringing the duckling out to us straight away, they will be fine without food. If you are keeping the duckling overnight, you can offer the following options: chick starter/chicken crumble (food for baby chickens), crushed chicken pellets, crushed dry cat biscuits, mashed boiled egg, pieces of earthworm, dry mealworms, wet cat food, minced greens, mashed peas. These are not a complete diet and not suitable long term. It is suitable to offer a few of these until you can get the duckling out to us.

Parapara, also known as the bird catcher tree, is native to New Zealand. It typically grows on islands and coastal areas of the North Island, and is present in Auckland. In spring-summer, parapara seeds develop a glue-like coating which is designed to help with seed dispersal. This coating remains sticky for months, and traps birds of various species. Fantails, waxeyes, grey warblers, sparrows, and thrush are frequent victims; likely attracted to bugs stuck in the seed pods. Kingfishers and ruru see these small birds as easy prey, and become entangled.

Once trapped, birds struggle to fly as their feathers are glued together. As they struggle on the ground, they become covered in leaves and dirt. They are unable to find food, and they are vulnerable to predators. To survive, they need a specialised bath at an experienced rehab centre.

In 2021 so far, we have admitted 7 ruru (morepork) trapped in parapara. Most are released within a few weeks of admission, but may need to stay for several months if they have experienced feather loss.

If you notice a parapara tree in your garden, you can help out the local bird life by trimming the seed pods each season. If you notice any birds who have become entangled, please bring them to a rehab centre as soon as possible. Don’t pull the pods off, as this can cause damage to feathers.

Thanks so much to everyone who continues to bring us these birds so we can give them a second chance!

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