Who's a smart baby duck, now? They are

Imprinting may seem primitive, but it is actually a complicated skill that the duck develops quite soon after it hatches and begins waddling around. Photo: AFP

Baby ducks can learn the difference between two objects of varying shape and colour, a capability previously known only to exist in apes, crows and parrots, scientists said recently.

This ability is linked to imprinting, a powerful learning process whereby a new chick follows the first adult it sees, likely its mother, researchers said in the US journal Science.