Yes, male ducks will mount and attempt to mate with other male ducks. This behavior is well documented across several waterfowl species and happens in both wild and domestic flocks. It can range from occasional mounting attempts to sustained pair bonds between two males, depending on the species and the social dynamics of the group.
Why Male Ducks Mount Other Males
Male-on-male mounting in ducks happens for several reasons, and it isn’t always about reproduction gone wrong. In some cases, it’s a dominance display. Male ducks (drakes) are notoriously aggressive during breeding season, and mounting another male is one way to assert rank in the flock hierarchy. This is especially common in domestic flocks where birds are confined to a limited space and can’t simply fly away from a dominant male.
Hormones also play a role. During breeding season, drakes experience a surge of reproductive hormones that makes them highly motivated to mate. When the ratio of males to females is skewed, or when females aren’t available or receptive, drakes will redirect that drive toward other males. Young, inexperienced drakes may also mount other males simply because they haven’t yet learned to distinguish receptive females from other birds in the flock.
Same-Sex Pair Bonds in Waterfowl
Male-male mating in ducks goes beyond opportunistic mounting. Some waterfowl species form genuine male-male pair bonds that persist over time. A large comparative study of bird species found that mallard ducks (the wild ancestor of most domestic breeds) do exhibit male-male pairing, though at low frequencies. Among closely related waterfowl, greylag geese show some of the highest rates, with male-male “gander pairs” making up 12 to 20% of all pair bonds in studied populations. Black swans show male-male pairing at roughly 6% of observed pairs.
Interestingly, research published in Animal Behaviour found a pattern: in species where males contribute less parental care than females, male-male pair bonding tends to be more common. Since male ducks generally provide little to no parental care (they typically leave after mating while the female incubates), they fit this pattern. The bonds between male ducks tend to be looser and more transient than the long-term gander pairs seen in geese, but they do occur.
How Flock Ratios Affect the Behavior
The single biggest factor in how often you’ll see male-on-male mating attempts in a domestic flock is the drake-to-hen ratio. When there are too many males relative to females, competition intensifies. Drakes that lose out in competition for hens will frequently mount other males instead. The generally recommended ratio for domestic duck flocks is one drake for every four to six hens. Flocks with a higher proportion of drakes will almost inevitably see more male-on-male mounting, along with more aggression overall.
All-male flocks, which some keepers maintain when they don’t want fertilized eggs, will see regular mounting behavior. Without any females present, drakes still cycle through breeding-season hormones, and mounting other males becomes the primary outlet for that drive.
Physical Risks of Aggressive Mounting
Whether directed at females or other males, aggressive mating behavior in ducks can cause real injuries. Drakes grip the back of the neck with their bill during mounting, and repeated attempts on the same bird can strip feathers from the neck and back. Once feathers are gone, continued mounting pulls away layers of skin, exposing underlying tissue to infection.
Signs that a bird in your flock is being over-mounted include:
- Bald patches on the back of the neck or upper back
- Raw or bleeding skin where feathers have been torn away
- Visible muscle or tissue damage in severe cases
- A bird that hides or avoids the flock, staying isolated from the group
These injuries are more common in smaller or subordinate males who can’t escape a dominant drake. In confined pens without enough space to retreat, the damage can escalate quickly. If you notice a male being repeatedly targeted, separating the aggressor or adjusting your flock’s male-to-female ratio is the most effective fix.
Seasonal Patterns
Male-on-male mounting peaks during breeding season, which for most domestic ducks runs from late winter through spring. During this window, testosterone levels are at their highest, and drakes become more aggressive in all their social interactions. Outside of breeding season, the behavior drops off significantly. Drakes go through a hormonal lull in late summer and fall, and mounting attempts of any kind become far less frequent.
Some domestic breeds, particularly those bred for high egg production like Khaki Campbells, have a longer breeding season than wild mallards, which can extend the window of aggressive mating behavior by several weeks on either end.