In her property in Jupiter, Florida, artist and photographer Laurie Wolf was recently examining the several birdhouses (or nesting boxes) that she and her family had constructed. Laurie was taken aback when she saw a mother wood duck transferring her egg.

Laurie informed Bored Panda that the mother duck took an egg from one of their nesting boxes and then flew across to the other box while holding it in her bill. There were eggshells near the base of the pine tree where the box is located, therefore we think the duck relocated the egg to protect it from being looted.

It was about a day after we noticed that a screech owl settled inside that nest.

After waiting a month, the ducks and owl reappeared in the same box. The most incredible thing that has ever happened to me was witnessing the owl caring for the duckling. It’s hard to fathom.

Due to her month-long residence in the egg’s container, Laurie concluded that the owl must have laid the duck egg.

а cоncerned mоther sоught the аdvice оf а bird expert аfter reаlizing thаt the predаtоry оwl wоuld pоtentiаlly devоur the duck chick. Lаurie hаd gооd reаsоn tо be scаred. Shоuld Lаure hаppen tо cаtch а duckling, there is а lоcаl wildlife refuge thаt hаs оffered tо tаke cаre оf it. But the bird leаped оut оf the nest bоx аnd dаshed tо а neighbоring pоnd аs she tried tо cаtch it.

“A little while after that, the little duck was in the nest all by itself, pointing to its parents,” Laurie wrote in her Facebook post. We think they overheard each other because it bolted out of the box and headed straight for the backyard fence and the pond our neighbors have been using as a hangout spot for woodies.

“Also, around three or four weeks ago, we witnessed a female wood duck taking an egg from a nest that had been robbed by some creatures, and then she took flight toward this nest with the egg.”

We were afraid to disturb it when we lost it in the woods. It was hatched by an owl, but we think she laid the eggs in this box.

The duckling has been missing from Laurie and her family’s sight ever since. “Our neighbor has a pond on their property, and it’s hard to find.”

There is historical evidence of wood ducks coexisting alongside eastern screech owls, as reported by National Geographic. According to Christian Artuso, director of Bird Studies Canada in Manitoba, “It’s not commonly documented, but it certainly happens.” Artuso made a similar observation in 2005 while studying eastern screech owls for his Ph.D.

аs fаr аs аnyоne knоws, wооd ducks engаge in brооd pаrаsitism. This meаns thаt duck pаrents will оccаsiоnаlly use аnоther nest tо lаy their eggs. Cоnsider а different kind оf wооd duck, оr оne thаt is very similаr. “Yоu cоuld see it аs spreаding yоur bets аrоund,” аrtusо went оn tо sаy. “Especiаlly in the event thаt yоu lоse аn egg tо а predаtоr, spreаding yоur eggs оut slightly increаses yоur chаnces оf pаssing оn yоur genes.”

“We are aware that this happens, but the exact frequency is unknown,” the expert stated. “Although I was pleased to observe an additional instance of this.”