Female Common Whitetails

Why were there a bunch of male Common Whitetails around on this day (see this post)? It's because this is also where the female Common Whitetails were. These particular females probably weren't looking for companionship, at least when they were photographed. My understanding is that she'll usually find a territory she likes over water and mate with its corresponding male while hovering over the water. They'll probably head to water every couple of days for the purpose of breeding.

I read she'll lay up to 1000 eggs each time she breeds. Certainly she needs to lay a lot of eggs; it's estimated that 99.9% of the eggs she lays won't reach adulthood.

June 29, 2023 at Sourland Mountain Preserve
Photo 301252225, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

June 29, 2023 at Sourland Mountain Preserve
Photo 301252261, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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