Chatty Cubans during hatch
These guys are one of the earliest clutches of Cubans seen at WWT Slimbridge for as long as anyone can remember.
A lot of whistling duck species have the "aah" factor in bucket loads, but the Cuban whistling duck is often labelled the most "boring" and secretive. Hopefully this post will help to change your mind on that score...
Below is a quick video of the gang during their hatch. As you can hear they are LOUD! Chattering away with each other keeps their hatch time unified and helps them bond as a group. Note that the little one that has already hatched is cuddling up to his mate in the egg on the right, reacting to the regular cheeps from within. As adults I always think 'pirate' when I think of Cubans, as they seems to maraud around their pen rather than simply walk. They are like little rugby players, scrumming together to share tidbits and battling with rival gangs. As you can see, the bonding process begins pre-hatch!
