Do Owls Eat Ducks?

Owls are birds of prey and ducks are not on top of the food chain, hence owls eat ducks as a rule of nature. If you rarely see ducks become an owl’s meal, it is solely because ducks are diurnal and owls are nocturnal. You can try letting your duck out of its shelter at night and see the result, or the owls can swoop in when they are starving.

Do Owls Eat Baby Ducks Or Adult Ducks?

Owls can attack and eat adult ducks because their strong talons are enough to knock the prey out before they go for the neck. Some owl species cannot carry a grown duck easily, but they don’t have to.

They will make a wise choice of going for the head and getting the most nutrients out of the duck before taking bite-sized pieces of meat from it.

As it logically goes, ducklings will be much preferred for owls. They are small, vulnerable, and often more distracted than the adults.

If ducks drop eggs outside or the owl finds a way into their nests, it wouldn’t leave the eggs alone either. Eggs are defenseless and certainly delicious.

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Do Owls Eat Mallard Ducks?

Yes, owls can be natural enemies of mallards. These ducks are often free-roaming in the opening, hence they might become good targets for even the less aggressive species such as Barred owls.

What Types Of Owls Eat Ducks

Barn owls tend to leave ducks and poultry flocks alone unless their food sources become extremely scarce. But Great Horned owls wouldn’t ignore a good chance to have some fowls for a delicious meal.

Great Horned owls have earned themselves the title of “the tiger of the sky”, meaning they are a formidable hunter among birds of prey. Their excellent hunting ability allows them to catch different species, even the ones physically larger than them.

Ducks are also part of the diet of Snowy owls. They specifically feed off sea ducks, with no exception for the ducklings and the eggs since they are not usually protected.

Sometimes, people get confused about the actual culprit behind the disappearance of their poultry flocks, but there are signs you can use as evidence.

• Firstly, owls tend to kill one prey per day, no more. Therefore, if you find more than one individual in your flock gone, it might not be an owl’s doing.
• Secondly, an owl’s prey is likely to be found headless along with white chalky heaps and pellets nearby. The pellets contain parts of the prey that owls cannot digest, so scientists can use them to figure out what is on the owls’ menu.

Check more: Do Owls Eat Chickens?

How Owls Kill & Eat Ducks

Ducks are not high on the priority list of owls, though it might be mostly due to them being domestic poultry and being secured at night when owls are the most active.

If you so much as spare a gap for the owls to enter, they wouldn’t hesitate to whoop in and capture a duck faster than you can blink.

Another possibility is the poor duck escapes the shelter you built for it and wanders outside. They will quickly be located by the owl’s extremely keen eyesight and hearing.

When an owl prepares an attack, the feathers on its head will rise and direct the noises to their ears more effectively. The mechanism is similar to what we hear when we cup our ears.

In this focused mode, the owl can hear the rustle of fellow birds, the rush of rodents, or even the slithering of snakes through grasses. It is not surprising that our clumsy ducks will also be on the owl’s radar.

The owl can fly in or drop itself onto the duck once the distance is appropriate. It uses its large and powerful talons to snatch and stun the prey.

A grown duck is too big for owls to swallow like they do to mice or ducklings, hence they will have to tear small chunks of meat off.

Usually, the owls will go for the prey’s neck and eat its head first because it has the most nutrients. They are not picky over what they swallow, even if it is fur, bones, claws, teeth, feathers, or any parts you deem inedible.

After the digestion phase, these non-consumable parts will be discharged from their bodies as a pellet.

The Takeaways

Now you know better than not keeping a close watch on your poultry because owls eat ducks whenever they have the chance, especially the Great Horned owls.

Owls are skilled hunters with physical creatures enabling them to attack and carry off prey bigger than themselves, so don’t think your mature ducks are safe because they are heavy!

If you have ever had your poultry attacked by owls and found your way to overcome the dilemma, feel free to share your story with us!