Coquetry

 

A stroll along the Leonhardbach reveals it: even among ducks, there are all sorts ...

A pair of wild ducks glides by: the husband half a duck’s length ahead, and behind him, slightly to the side, his pretty wife. The gentleman lets his gaze wander—everything in order, no trouble in sight. His lady is busy occasionally dipping her beak into the water, fishing out the odd morsel. On the bank, a dozing drake or a pair of ducks lost in thought can sometimes be seen, but otherwise, all is quiet along the stream and meadow.

Oh dear—there, bobbing at the edge of the brook, is a lone, unattached drake. Our duck husband shoots him a sharp glance but swims on calmly when the bachelor shows no sign of heightened interest. But now, the lady duck springs into action: she lets herself fall back a little, seemingly absorbed in her search for food. As she does, she begins to wag her tail coquettishly from side to side, turning and twisting with grace, taking great care—too great care—not to spare a single glance for the stranger ... or so it seems!

The poor bachelor would have had to be made of stone not to respond to such a challenge!

Sure enough, he falls for her tricks, swimming after her—first hesitantly, then with determination. The coquettish lady twists and turns before him, casting the occasional glance over her shoulder before quickly facing forward again, all the while falling further and further behind her unsuspecting husband.

Now the bachelor loses his head: he picks up speed and swims eagerly toward the lady duck. The distance between them shrinks—until, suddenly, she turns back in the direction of her husband and dashes after him, though not without throwing another glance or two at her smitten suitor. He speeds up, the gap closes rapidly—and then the lady begins to squawk and scream terribly. Alarmed, her husband turns and beholds a scene of outraged innocence under pursuit!

In an instant, the husband spins around and charges at the startled admirer of his wife. The drake stops in confusion—then hastily makes his escape. This certainly wasn’t how things looked at first ...

But the lady duck? She wouldn’t harm a fly. She swims along once more, so harmless and busy, beside her now very watchful husband.

Ah yes ...

A student of the behavioural researcher Konrad Lorenz hit the nail on the head when the professor was getting worked up about marital infidelity among his greylag geese:

“But Professor! We greylag geese (hm ... wild ducks?) are only human, after all!”