Play Minnesota Duck, Duck, Grey Duck.
Before any disturbance, tufted ducks allocated less time to sleeping and more time to vigilance and preening than mallards and teals.
It is worth noting that vigilance duration was lower for ducks of G2 (highly disturbed group) during the week of disturbance, whereas the decrease in preening duration was highest for ducks of G1 (moderately disturbed group).
In G2, ducks foraged less during the week of disturbance than during the week before and foraged also less than ducks of the CG (t81<−2.62, P<0.05) (Figure 3a).
Furthermore, after disturbance, vigilance was higher for ducks of the control group than for ducks of the disturbed one (t103 = 5.82, P<0.0001) (Figure 4b).
In G2, ducks foraged less during and after the disturbance than before it (t42<−3.31, P<0.022).
Lastly, during the disturbance week, preening duration was higher for ducks of the CG than for ducks of G1 and of G2 (t123>3.21, P<0.032) (Figure 3c).
Indeed, during the first days of the disturbance week, food intake is reduced in disturbed groups whatever the duck species ([30] Zimmer, unpublished data).
A spokesman for the Cambridge University Combined Boat Clubs, which runs the Bumps, said: "Every effort is being made to mitigate disturbance to wildlife and to keep ducks and other waterfowl out of the way of racing boats.
In G2, ducks were less vigilant during the week following disturbance than in the two previous weeks (t187<−6.22, P<0.0001).
