When walking around campus it’s hard not to notice the seemingly never-ending calls of birds. But look a bit closer and you will see the real reasons for these complex melodies.
One of the most easily recognisable calls is that of the mallard. These birds may seem harmless and tame, but there is an underlying motive that dominates the lake on campus, sex. Mallards normally form breeding pairs in late autumn and stay in these pairs until the start of nesting season. Nevertheless, the males of the species are ruthless, and sometimes will stop at nothing to copulate with a female. The video below shows two male mallards fighting on Whiteknights lake, probably to seek the attention of the female mallard that is seen at the end of the clip.