An Owl Mistook A Duck's Egg For Its Own And It Became The Mother Of A Duckling

An odd image of an owl and a duckling gazing out from a bird box was caught by a Florida photographer. She initially mistook it for an owl hatchling but it turned out to be a duckling. Because wood ducks are brood parasites they prefer not to lay all of their eggs in one nest in the hopes that at least some of them would hatch.

The world of animals is extremely amazing and intriguing. We've all learned that animals are violent and that they feed on one another brutally for existence. However, a deeper examination of the relationships that animals form with one another reveals that they are also connected by love and affection. Their impulses may urge them to hunt those who are different from them, yet love and affection could override these inclinations in the past.

It is a well-known fact that nothing compares to a mother's love. Only a mother understands how hard her heart beats for her children and they would never hesitate to lay down their life for them. The story we're about to tell you isn't about a human mother but about an owl mother who struggled to raise a duckling.

Further info: Laurie Wolf Artist | wildworksgallery.com

This owl mother in our story opted to build a nest in Laurie Wolf's Florida garden. Laurie was a photographer and she was fascinated by the owl that had decided to make his home in her yard. Laurie was naturally alert as a photographer and the owl caught her off guard one day when she saw a little duckling alongside the owl. Laurie initially mistook it for a young owl but she realized it was a duckling upon closer inspection.

On the other hand, Laurie was urged by a bird specialist to remove the duckling from the owl's nest because owls are known to prey on young ducks. The duckling walked out to a neighboring pond on its own, and Laurie believes the duckling must have heard its true mother's cry.

Christian Artuso, director of Bird Studies in Canada said, “It is not widely recorded but it does happen for sure. Female ducks will occasionally deposit one or two eggs in the nest of another duck or closely similar species.”

However, we believe that this occurrence demonstrates another lovely aspect of the animal world, and we hope you like it as much as we do!