Baby North American Wood Ducks Take a Trust Fall
In North American Wood Ducklings Take a Trust Fall, narrator Gordon Buchanan describes how baby ducks hatch inside the hollow of a tree over 60 feet above the ground. Though they are safe there, they must get down to the water to feed. The mother calls to them from the water below and the babies, unable to fly, survive the long fall by stretching out their bodies. They then waddle to the water where they are safe. This video is excerpted from BBC's Animal Babies, a heartwarming show that follows the first breaths, first steps, and first feeds of some adorable baby animals, revealing the challenges they face to survive in some of the toughest but most beautiful places on the planet.
Lesson Express
Q: What are the pros and cons of a tree nest?
A: It keeps the babies safe from predators, but their food source is in the water.
Q: Why don't the baby ducks fly from the tree? How do they lessen the impact of the fall?
A: Their wings are too small and weak to support their body yet. They stretch out to slow their fall.
Q: What dangers do the baby ducks have to overcome?
A: They have to survive the leap from the tall tree and their walk across land to the safety of water and their mother.
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