Endangered ducklings now on show at specialist duckery

To recently hatched white-headed ducklings have taken their first steps outside

Two white-headed ducks have taken their first steps outside following a period in our off-show rearing units.

Hatching on 29 May 2022, these incredibly quirky diving ducks were a welcome arrival to the team here at Washington Wetland Centre. These birds are renowned for being very sensitive to change and stress and so to give them the best possible chance they have been kept off-show for the early stages of their development.

White-headed ducklings require a specific rearing unit layout because their legs are set so far back. The placement of their legs can cause difficulties for them getting out of the water and back onto the dry area for their food and to keep warm.

In the first few days it can be difficult to get them interested in food, so the team have to spend a fair bit of time trying to encourage some interest in it. The best trick they have found is to make a mushy porridge with their pellet… they make a big mess with it as they eat but they seem to love it!

Extra cleans and very gradual changes to their exhibit are the aim of the game. The team need to encourage exercise without causing too much of a drastic change which can put them off.

At a month old, the conditions were right for the team to allow our white heads outside for the day. This is quite a worrying introduction for the team and a big change for the birds, but everything went smoothly and they have continued to thrive.

The team have worked very hard to keep them clean and safe in a very calm and secure environment and it's now time for them to move into an outdoor area of the nurseries where visitors are now able to see them swimming and practising those all-important diving techniques.

White-headed ducks are an endangered species with numbers continuing to decline due to habitat loss. For us to have a healthy pair of youngsters is a fantastic achievement and helps to keep a healthy population within WWT.

• Share this article