The CGTN Nature film crew captured rare footage of wild Chinese merganser ducklings jumping off from their nest.

At 8:52 in the morning of May 8, eight ducklings jumped from their safe and cozy nest ten meters above the ground on an old elm tree by the Heihe section of the Toudao Songhua River, which flows from Changbai Mountain.

It has only been 24 hours since they hatched. The mother, who was waiting patiently for them in the river, had laid ten eggs this time. After 28 days of incubation, only eight ducklings were hatched.

Jumping out of the nest is a critical challenge for ducklings. Only the brave ones that successfully do so and catch up with their mother will be able to embrace the next phase of life.

Watch more:

Loving pair of Chinese mergansers spotted in Mt. Changbai

Changbai Mountain welcomes breeding season for Chinese mergansers

(Cover image is a screenshot.)

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